


Of Black Cats and Spotted Bugs

by Mogwai1988



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Multi, Platonic chapters mostly, potential major character death for chapter 3, same goes with the warnings, so it's not exclusive to just the current pairing(s) being shown, tags and stuff will be updated as more chapters are added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2018-09-26 06:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 102,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9870779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mogwai1988/pseuds/Mogwai1988
Summary: A collection of one-shot drabbles written based on prompts.Some of which received trough my Tumblr and some I just picked from a list to work with. Mostly to practice writing with.Aiming to do 10 one-shots in total.As much as possible. Mostly as practice.Ships may vary as will the content of the chapters. But I'm keeping things out of the mature ratings.Focuses mainly on the love square.Mostly platonic, but might throw in some romance as well.





	1. In Good Company *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are cuddles to be had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing prompt for this chapter: “If you want, we could go together?”
> 
> This drabble is meant as a platonic/bff kind of relationship between Chat and Mari.  
> English is also not my native language, so pardon any spelling errors.

* * *

If Marinette had learned anything in the short six months, Chat Noir decided to frequently visit her, it was that he was one hell of a good listener.  
She couldn’t remember when the exact moment was when she felt more comfortable chatting to him about school, about her crush, about whatever was bothering her.

And, surprisingly, he listened.

Another thing she had learned that the hero tended to be more of a cuddler than she had ever thought he would be.  
Politely asking permission the first couple of times, in due time he had wrapped his arms around her more frequently.  
Usually when she was working on something.  
Or playing a game.

Something she didn’t end up disliking.

Sometimes he did it just to tease her.

Sometimes it felt like he just really needed the physical attention.

Today didn’t seem different.  
His chin resting on her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her waist, his belly pressed against her back, his eyes fixed on the small screen of the Nintendo DS she was playing on, while sitting on her bed.

“So? Did you ask him yet?”

Marinette gave out a small sigh. “No.”

“Isn’t the dance this week? You’re running out of time.”

“I’m running out of potions.” She answered, trying to deflect the subject.

It wasn’t like she could just walk up to Adrien and ask him out to the school dance.  
Even if she had already made the dress for it.  
The piece of clothing now seemed to be nothing more than a piece of decoration for her room.  
She had to move it to her closet soon.

This was Adrien ‘freaking’ Agreste she was crushing on!  
Not that she would ever tell Chat that.  
If the model didn’t already have a date, then surely someone else must have asked him already.  
And she wasn’t going to turn herself into a bumbling idiot again, just to attempt to ask something she would be declined for either way.

She could feel Chat smiling smugly as he tightened his arms around her.

“You wouldn’t be if you didn’t ditch that sleep move on your Roselia.”

She sighed again. Knowing very well that he was right. “I’ll make it.” Marinette muttered. “I’ll win this gym match! Just one more hit and - “

A critical move from the gym leader’s Driftloon had left her last Pokémon unconcious.  
The screen faded to black to reveal the text, indicating she didn’t win.

“I suck at RPG’s. Give me a beat-’em-up any day of the week.”

Behind her, Chat Noir lightly chuckled.

“Not as much as you suck asking out that guy you like.”

She passed the device on to Chat, whom slightly adjusted his position so she was able to lean back against him and watch him play.

“Yeah…well… I don’t think I’ll be going anyway. Alya said she wouldn’t be there and Nino will be spinning records all evening. So it would be boring all by myself anyway.”

“But you would have that guy you like all to yourself.”

Marinette bit her lip. Chat had made a compelling argument. “If he doesn’t have a date already and if I can actually not freak out enough to form a complete sentence.”

Again another chuckle from the hero. “You’ve got it bad princess!”

She pouted, sighed again and leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Don’t I know it.”

“If you want, we could go together?”

Her blue eyes went wide.  
Did he actually suggest that they go on a date together?

“W-what?”

“We could go together.” A smirk curled up on his lips. “Just imagine how jealous that guy must be when you walk in with the one and only Chat Noir!”

At this point she wasn’t sure if he was actually serious about it all or not.  
But it sounded like a joke.

“We’d dance a little, talk a little, you point out the guy you like so much and I’ll leave you in his care while I excuse myself from the party.”

If not a joke, it did sound like a ridiculous plan.  
Ridiculous enough to work?  
She wouldn’t like to take her changes in this case.  
Worst case scenario, and knowing her luck that might just be the case, her crush would ditch her after Chat would leave and she would be alone at a school dance again.

“Or. I could just stay at home and keep sucking at playing Pokémon. But I appreciate the offer kitty.”

The smirk on his face fell and he turned his attention back to the game. “If that is what you want. It is a shame though.”

“A shame?”

“That you spend all that time making that dress and you’re not even going to wear it.”

“I could wear it and have a one person party in my room.”

“That sounds sad.”

She gave a small shrug, watching Chat’s actions on the screen as he tried to take on the gym leader. “Better than being rejected or ending up going to a party alone.”

“Can we make it a two person party? I’ll bring the snacks.”

Marinette gave a small snort, not knowing which she found funnier.  
Chat Noir taking pity on her idea of a pity party, or asking to join her while he always invited himself in these days.

“Sure Chat. Movie marathon?”

“I’m up for anything as long as I get to see you wear that dress.”

The smirk returned.

“Tell you what. You beat Fantina now and I’ll wear that dress to our two person party.”

There was no way he would be able to beat that gym leader.  
She had a hard time with the pokémon she had trained, which were probably just too underleveled to even beat the gym leader.  
Not that she had the patience for that sort of thing.  
Other things yes. This sort of thing not so much.

Chat only had two pokémon left anyway, there was no way he would beat her.

“May I raise the reward and ask for a dance too.”

It wasn’t even really a question.

“If you don’t mind your toes getting stepped on. Sure.”

“Not that much of a dancer huh princess?”

“No not really and I suppose you - “ She stopped mid sentence as the victory tune played. “Get out! You actually did it!”

He gave the device back to her and shifted back into his previous cuddle position.  
Arms once again wrapped around her waist, chin resting on her shoulder.

“She didn’t stand a ghost of a chance.”

Marinette softly groaned at the pun.

“Get it. Because of the ghost types.”

“Yeah. No. I got it. Your puns are just so ghastly that I find it hard to laugh at them.”

“Haaaaaaaaa! You made a puuuuuunnnnn!” His arms wrapped tighter around her. “I’m so proud of you!”

“I did no such thing.” Marinette denied as she resumed the game.

There was one other thing that she had learned in the short six months Chat Noir decided to frequently drop by.  
That being, that he was actually rather nice company to have around.


	2. Batman who?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chloé and Alya disagree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this chapter was: “What do you mean you don’t know who Batman is?” 
> 
> Certainly an interesting one to write.
> 
> Not written as early in the morning this time, but still pardon for any spelling errors.

* * *

  
  
When it came to all things Ladybug related, Adrien knew nobody more invested in the subject than Alya Césaire.  
The blog she dedicated to the superheroine was pretty much her little baby at this point.

He knew how much time she spend updating it.  
Posting contributions of other fans.  
Researching and livestreaming every move Ladybug made.

In his eyes, she was easily Ladybug’s number one fan.  
Not hesitating to let the rest of the class know about every theory and every fact she had uncovered about the spotted hero either.  
Happily discussing it all with her fellow classmates.

At least that was one thing he had in common with her and could easily talk to her about.  
Which they often did, as she tended to share ‘hot news’ with him first on a regular basis.  
Well, that and certain comic book series they were both following.

Though he would have probably tried to take the spot of ‘number one fan’ if he wasn’t already Ladybug’s partner in crime fighting.  
Something that easily exceeded the status of ‘top fan’ in his opinion.

What also happend on a regular basis was the fact that, when a Ladybug topic was discussed, Chloe seemed to voice her opinion as loudly as possible.  
If only to establish that she deserved the title of Ladybug’s number one fan.  
Which she already claimed to be daily, much to Alya’s annoyance.

And if he had the energy at the moment to jump into the current discussion the two girls were having, he would have.  
But at the moment the amount of energy he had wasn’t even enough to keep his attention to the text in front of him.  
He could blame a lot of things for that.

The Akuma at 3 am.

The early morning photoshoot at 6 am.

The test he forgot about and still tried to study for at 7:30 am.  
An hour before it actually took place.

So far there were only three things that kept him going through the day.

The fact that he had been the only one to hear Ladybug curse out Hawkmoth seven ways ‘till Sunday and that being the first thing she had greeted him with.

For some reason it was hilarious to him to see his lady so pissed off.  
Hearing her say words he never thought she would say.

Not that he could blame her.  
What kind of idiot would Akumatize someone as early as 3 am anyway!

The other thing being that, thankfully, the make-up from his shoot was enough to cover up how he was feeling.

And lastly, he didn’t seem to be suffering alone.

Sitting across from him, at the table in the library, was Marinette.  
Looking just as tired, if not more, as he was feeling right now.

She had quickly waved it off that morning as staying up to late for a design she wanted to finish.  
But he could hear a hint of annoyance in her voice as well, so Adrien decided to not risk anything and just let her be instead of trying to strike up a conversation.

Not that anyone could get a conversation going right now, since Alya and Chloe were both still engulfed into a heated argument about the type of hideout Ladybug would have.  
Being loud enough for the people in the library to clearly follow the conversation.  
Just listening in on them was enough for him to know that this was going to be a long study period.

“As if!” Chloé’s voice loudly disagreed. “Like Ladybug would even have a cave as a secret hideout! Surely she has standards!”

Alya loudly groaned and rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying she has, I’m saying it’s plausible Chloé!”

“Well, if she had a hideout, it would be in plain sight. Like a house, or a room or something.” The blonde huffed. “Maybe inside one of the monumental buildings. That’s more likely than some stuffy old cave!”

“You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about! A secret cave lair would totally be something Ladybug would have!”

“Maybe it’s both?”

It wasn’t until he noticed both Alya and Chloé had stopped talking and were looking at him, that he realized he had said that out loud.

It was just a passing thought on the current subject.  
But apparently his brain and his mouth really weren’t working together when he was this tired.

“L-Like Wayne Manor!” He quickly responded to the two as he noticed them waiting for a further explanation. “House on the top, secret cave on the bottom?”

Chloé frowned slightly. “Okay but…now I’m imagining a Ladybug version of the Batcave and it’s not really any better than regular smelly old cave Adrikins.”

“Dude! How cool would it be if she did though. Think of all the gadgets she hasn’t used yet that are stored in the Ladybug cave! The Bugcave!” Nino added, only to earn a snarky reply from Chloé.

“She doesn’t use any gadgets besides her yo-yo.” A victorious smirk curled on her lips. “And you call yourself a fan.”

“Not me.” The boy shrugged nonchalantly “Just sayin’ that if she had something like the Batcave, she would have some awesome gadgets laying around too. What’s the use of a secret hideout if it doesn’t double as a storage for some awesome stuff y’know?”

Adrien nodded in agreement with his best friend’s theory.

“Okay. Yeah that would be awesome.” Alya agreed as well.

“Oh. My. God. You’re did not seriously suggesting that Ladybug would have as lame of a hideout as Batman!” The blonde flipped her ponytail backwards. “There’s no way that she would even need half the stuff Batman would need! She’s way too awesome for that!”

And the discussion continued.  
Of course Adrien should have seen that coming, knowing Chloé all too well.

And as predicted, she wasn’t going to let Alya let in another word edgewise until she was done saying what she wanted to say. “Besides, if she had something as an underground base, it would be more practical than a lame Batcave anyway. Like a big, well lit, bunker!”

“You tell them Chloé.” Sabrina softly cheered from the sidelines.

Alya raised a brow and crossed her arms. “Excuse you! Batman is awesome! The Batcave is awesome and if Ladybug has something like a Batcave that would be mega-awesome!”

He was sure the argument would continue to be a Batman vs Ladybug type of conversation, if it not for the tired voice that suddenly pipped up.

“Who’s Batman?”

A bit shocked, he turned towards the tired gril across from him.  
Her hand supporting her head as she was surprised by the questioning stares she was getting. “What?”

“Girl? You don’t know who Batman is?”

Marinette shook her head in reply to her best friend.

“Of course you wouldn’t know.”

The dark haired girl’s cheeks reddend in embarrassment at the snarky comment the Mayor’s daughter gave. “I’m sorry. I j-just don’t know who Batman is!”

“What do you mean you don’t know who Batman is? You must have seen one Batman movie right?”

To say the girl looked lost at Nino’s question was an understatement.

“Movie? He’s a superhero right? Why would he be in a movie?”

“Marinette. They’re talking about Bruce Wayne. You know. Batman? The Dark Knight? The comic book superhero.” Adrien calmly explained while Chloé giggled loudly in the background and Alya just seemed to be too occupied glancing daggers towards the giggling girl to explain.

He watched her blink a couple of moments before he noticed realization set in.  
Her cheeks reddened even deeper.

“O-Oh! I thought that….b-b-but he could have been…I mean! You guys were talking about Ladybug so I thought Batman was another ‘real’ superhero I hadn’t heard off!”

Nino gave the girl a couple of pats on her back to calm her down. “It’s okay Marinette. Not everyone reads comic books. Don’t worry about it.”

Despite that, the girl put her hands in front of her face and tried to hide her embarrassment by slouching in her chair. Hoping that making herself smaller would make things better.  
Adrien could have sworn he heard her mutter something along the lines of “Just shoot me now.” before trying to defend herself even more.

“I should be able to tell if you guys are talking about r-real heroes or Marvel ones!” She replied with a mixture of fatigue and embarrassment in her voice.

“You uneducated potato!” Chloé pointed out, aiming to rub in her mistake even more. “Batman is DC not Marvel.”

All Marinette gave in response was an angry glare towards the other girl.  
Which was strange to Adrien, as he had noticed that she normally didn’t have a problem defending herself against the Mayor’s daughter.

But today, it was clear to him, that the aspiring designer had as much energy to deal with Chloé’s antics as he was having.  
With a loud thud, she closed her book and grabbed her bag.  
Preparing herself to just leave small group.

If she wasn’t going to throw up something to defend herself, then surely Adrien could.  
It was part of being a hero after all.  
He could probably gather enough energy to advice his childhood friend to tone it down a bit.

He quickly gestured to Marinette to sit back down before turning to his childhood friend. “Lay off Chlo. People get those confused all the time.”

“Since when are you such an expert in comics anyway?” His best friend added.

“I-I’m not!” the blonde defended herself. “I-It’s just common knowledge and only a complete airhead wouldn’t know that.”

Adrien could hear Marinette mumble something.  
While he couldn’t quite catch most of what she was saying, he was certain she was complaining about something along the lines of ‘not being an airhead’ as well as a cuss word or two.  
But he wasn’t sure about that last part.  
He could have imagined it all, with the outburst of his Lady much earlier that day still in his mind.

Nevertheless, Marinette sat back down.  
Hidding her face behind her bag.

Satisfied that he had least had managed to keep Marinette at the table, he shot Chloé an all knowing look.  
He knew very well that she did read a fair number of comic books, since he had dragged her into it when they were younger.  
Adrien was sure he was the only one, maybe besides Sabrina, who knew of the secret compartment in her closet.  
The secret compartment that had enough room to store the comics she had gathered over the years in neat boxes.

She frowned a bit when noticed the look he gave her. “Well I would LOVE to hang around and educate you all in how Ladybug is better than Batman in every way, I do have more important things to do.”

“Oh please! Let us not stop you from going your merry little way.” Alya dryly replied.

“Like you guys could stop me from doing anything. And Alya.” The glasses wearing girl turned to meet her gaze. “If you ever come to your senses and see that Ladybug wouldn’t have a cave hideout, and you write it down on your little blog, be sure to write my name under it. It is MY theory after all.”

With that, the Mayor’s daughter left the library.  
Followed suit by Sabrina.

“Who does she even think she is!” Alya fumed before grabbing her phone and furiously typing away at the screen. “She can’t just decide that her theory is better!”

“Dude. Before you start ranting on your blog about this, and yes we know that’s what you’re probably doing right now, why don’t you just let the other fans decide which theory is best.” Nino stated, trying to calm her down.

“A poll.” All three of her friends answered almost in unison when they noticed the confused look on her face.

“Of course! That’s genius! I should have thought of that!” Again she feverishly typed away at the screen.

“Yeah, you would have. If you, you know, weren’t so pissed at Chloé.”

“Shhhh, I’m working here Nino.”

Adrien quietly observed the playful banter that followed between the two for a short while, only to have his attention be pulled back to Marinette when he heard her mutter.

“Glad I’m not the only one not being able to think straight today.”

“It’s still an mistake you shouldn’t be ashamed of Marinette.” He softly replied. “Even if you weren’t so tired that you confused a fictional character for a real one.”

“Y-You me notice that? I mean! T-Tired me? You n-n-noticed?”

Adrien gave her a patient smile and a nod in reply. “I feel your pain. I’ve been up since three this morning too. I think we’re excused from making a mistake or two then don’t you think?”

Her eyes darted away from his gaze but she answered with a small nod anyway.

Glancing at the time on his phone, he still noticed there was half an hour left of their study period.  
Not much time to fully rest up, but maybe that half an hour would make all the difference.  
Laying his head on the table, he was about to ask the others of the group to wake him up when they had to go to their next class, when an alarm buzzed on Alya’s phone.

“There’s another Akuma!” She announced excitedly.

It was then, that Adrien knew that this wasn’t just going be a long study period, but a long day as well.

 

 


	3. All good things come to an end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien always wanted to find out her true identity, only he didn't want to find it out like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative title: Adrien notices things.
> 
> The prompt for this one was "You've always been trouble".
> 
> I wanted to go with short, but this thing got out of hand.  
> I also may or may not have cried a little writing this.

* * *

 

Chat Noir breathed in deeply.

Letting the moist, cold, air of the season flow inside him before pushing it past his lips in a long sigh.

 Flipping open his baton, he noticed that he had been sitting on the ledge of the Eiffel tower for the last half hour.  
If tonight was just like any patrol night, he would have done their usual round alone.

But this wasn’t like any patrol night.

At least, the hero wasn’t intending it to be like any patrol night.  
And for his intentions to actually succeed, he needed a key element.

That being the presence of his Lady.

He wasn’t keen on letting days he needed to gather enough courage, as well as annoying Plagg in the process, go to waste so soon.  
Tonight would be the night he would tell her how he really felt about her.   
That all the flirty comments he had shot her way, weren’t just ill timed attempts at comedy on his part.

He slided his baton open again, eyes glued to the small screen of his multi-functional weapon, as he decided to quickly check the Ladyblog for an update while he waited.  
Being engulfed into its latest article, he didn’t notice his partner landing near him until she spoke up. “Chat? I didn’t think you were going to be here.”

His ears flicked upwards as he turned to the voice.  
The look of surprise shifting into one of endearment the moment his eyes met hers.

Ladybug however, didn’t seem that happy to see him.

Something he noticed from the way she walked over and plopped down next to him on the ledge.

“I got here late too.” He lied. “So I figured I’d wait a bit and see if you would show up since there’s no way I’m missing the chance to see you my Lady.”

There was no reply.

No witty comeback.

No scolding for trying too hard to flirt with her.

Just his Lady, staring in front of her.

Of all the scenarios that had played in his head on how things would be going tonight, this was not one he had imagined.  
A voice inside of him, which sounded suspiciously like Plagg, told him that this was not the right moment to declare his everlasting love to her.

“Okay. Something is up. What’s wrong Ladybug?” Chat asked her with a soft voice.

“Nothing. It’s fine.”

She pulled up her legs, wrapped her arms around them and hugged them tightly.

He scooted a little closer to her. “You don’t sound fine.” An arm carefully found it’s way to her shoulder, offering some kind of comfort to the girl. “Talk to me.”

She didn’t.

Which left Chat with nothing to do but guess what was bothering her.

“Bad day?” Ladybug leaned against his shoulder, much to his delight, in response he tightened the grip on hers.

“Something like that.” She sighed.

“You know you can always-” She didn’t let him finish.

“I know. But it’s nothing. Just something that ruined my whole day.” The boy nodded in understanding. “And a lecture from my parents about responsibility to top it all off.”

He felt her pull away from him the moment he let out a snort and a laugh.

“If they only knew! Right my Lady?” With his free hand he gestured to the cityscape in front of them. “It’s not like you take daily responsibility, protecting everyone in Paris right?”

A small smile curled up on her lips at the obvious tone of sarcasm in his voice.

“I know! Oh my gosh Chat you had to hear them going on about how I shouldn’t fall behind on my homework. That school should take priority and that I’m old enough to know my responsibilities.”   
  
She let out a frustrated groan. “I was so close to just blowing up and telling them that I’m freaking Ladybug and they don’t have to tell me that!”   
  
The way she was ranting along was amusing to him.   
In a way he was glad.   
Glad that she trusted him enough to be frustrated about normal things, while he lend a listening ear.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love my parents to death, it’s just sometimes.” Her nose wrinkled, teeth bared. Her fingers curled into the shape of a claw. “I. Just. Argh!”

Again he nodded.

“You know?”

“Oh, I know LB. I know.”

He understood her frustrations perfectly well. Even if his frustrations towards his father were for entirely different reasons than what her parents gave her frustration about.

He let go of her shoulder and stretched his arms towards her. Opening them up for her to embrace him.

In response she raised a brow.

“Come on. Hugs will make you feel better after a bad day.” Chat Noir offered.

“That’s the lamest excuse I've ever heard you use, to get me to hug you.” Nevertheless she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I don’t need it.”

“Of course you don’t.” His grip tightened. One hand moved around her waist, the other nestled itself in the strands of her dark hair.

“I really don’t. I’m just hugging you because you need it. Not the other way around.”

”How thoughtful of you my Lady.” He planted a small kiss on the top of her head. One he wasn’t even sure she would feel.

Both heroes stayed in each other’s embrace for a couple of moments.He was contemplating if this was a good moment to tell her, until she started to move in his arms.

“Should we skip patrol for today?"

Chat flashed her a small grin before replying. "Tsk. Tsk. Such an irresponsible thing to say Bugaboo!" He laughed. "Didn't we just established that you're perfectly capable of being responsible?"

His laughter died down when he noticed she wasn't smiling at his teasing.  
Or teasing him back for that matter.

"I know." Once again she leaned into him and pulled him into a tighter embrace. "I just...don't feel like going out there today."

It was at that point that he noticed something he had never noticed before.  
  
He noticed how vulnerable she sounded at that moment.

Not something he was used coming from the strong, stubborn girl.

Or...maybe he just wasn’t used to seeing it all that much.

Hadn’t she sounded just like that on their first day as heroes?

It has been so long, he honestly couldn’t remember it clearly.

"Then it's a good thing that trouble always ends up finding us. So we don't have to move an inch if you don't want to."

"I'm pretty sure trouble has already found me today."

"What do you mean?"

He felt her shift against his chest.

"Y-You of course!"

Her answer caught him by surprise, "Me?"

"Y-Yeah. You've always been trouble." The dark haired girl tightened the hug even more. "But the good kind of trouble."

"I didn't realize there even was something like that."

"I know it doesn't make sense. But there is. Just don't doubt me on this one okay."

"You know I'll never doubt you on anything my Lady."

As warm, loving and needed their embrace had felt at the beginning, the longer they sat together, the more he began to notice things.

How tense she felt under his touch.

How she seemed to cling onto him for dear life.

The way she sometimes shot back a snarky comment, or let out a small laugh, only to fall back into this new fragile side she had shown him.

Chat Noir started to suspect there was more to his partner's 'bad day' than she was willing to let on.  
If not only for the fact that she let him hug her so easily, without pushing him away like she usually did.

Then again, women were said to be mysterious creatures.

For all he knew she was just really having a bad day and everything would feel, and be, back to normal tomorrow.  
The hug just being something she needed.   
Still, it left him with a heavy pit in his stomach when they both parted ways that night.   
  
The feelings of worry disappeared with the next day however, when he noticed how her confidence returned and she no longer looked so fragile to him.  
Even during their patrol round, it was as if the previous night never happened.

And while the worry about his Lady was gone, he found himself worry for another within a couple of weeks.  


* * *

 

It wasn't unusual for Marinette Dupain-Cheng to turn up for class too late.  
It wasn't even unusual for her to not show up for a class at all.   
And when she went absent for the second day in a row, her best friend Alya had explained to him that she was told she had the flu.

When two days of absence turned into four days, he had learned three things.

Purifying an Akuma wasn’t the only way to defeat it.  
A couple of, panicking, wacks of his baton, followed by a stomp of his boot, was also just as efficient.

Working alone sucked.

Really sucked.  
  
Things were ten times harder for him without someone shouting a last minute battle plan.   
Or pulling him out of the way.   
Or distracting the Akumatized villain.

He hated it.

An lastly, for some reason, his Lady had not showed up to the battle, which ignited that heavy pit in stomach once again that had laid dormant for a while.

Something he learned, he liked even less than working alone.

“Don’t worry about it Adrien. She probably couldn’t get away to transform or something.” Plagg reassured him.

“I hope you’re right.” The boy sighed before closing his locker door.

The sound of metal on metal echoing through the empty locker room.  
He didn’t have much time to recollect his thoughts and ease his own worries, when Alya stormed into the room.

Plagg quickly hiding out of sight the moment they noticed her coming in.

“Agreste!” She happily greeted. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Adrien noticed the small stack of papers in her arms.

“You have?”

Alya nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes that didn’t go unnoticed to him.  
He immediately started to regret the surprised reply he had given her.

“I am cashing in on that favor you owe me.”

To say he was a bit lost on what she meant was an understatement. “Uhm... what favor?”

“Remember that totally amazing pic I shot of Ladybug last month.” He nodded as the image of the photo flashed through his mind. One he had dubbed ‘a work of art’. “Then you also remember the fact that you and me are the only people in the world that own that photo.”

Again he nodded.

Remembering very well that they both had joked that such a perfect photo of Ladybug, should remain a rare thing.

As a result, Alya had forwarded him a copy of the photo, so she could have a backup in case something happened to the original image file.

At the time it had been nothing more than the two geeking out about their favorite hero.

Joking around and gushing over how perfect she looked in the photo.

He couldn’t even remember if there was talk about a favor of some kind anywhere.

“So?”

“So. I did you a favor by giving you that work of art.” Her smile turned into a small smirk. “And now it’s time to pay it back.”

“That was a favor? If I had known that, I would never have taken it.” He said jokingly.

“Come on Agreste.” She pleaded sweetly. “It’s just a small thing you have to do and your debt will be paid.”

Adrien raised a brow. “You can just tell me if you need money Alya.”

The joking tone never leaving his voice.

“What?” The glasses wearing girl exclaimed in confusion. “No! I wasn’t going to ask you for money. You’re not getting out of it that easily.” She handed him the stack of papers with a small giggle.

“Uhm...” Was all he could say. Getting more and more confused by the moment.

“Madame Bustier asked me to deliver Mari’s homework to her.” Alya explained. “But, I really want to get out there and find out why Ladybug didn’t show up during the Akuma attack today.”

“And you want me to do it instead?”“Bingo! Whoever said you can’t have brains and beauty was wrong!” She joked.  
  
“Clearly. I mean. Look at us! We’re obvious proof of that.” Adrien laughed.

“Obviously.” She stated before flipping her hair backwards dramatically for comedic effect.

Both teens loudly laughed at their joke.  
It wasn’t until the laughter had died down that Alya became serious again.

“So? Will you do it?”

He fell silent for a moment.

Marinette was someone he also considered to be a friend to him, and while he was also itching to go out as Chat Noir and look for his Lady before their patrolling time, this was a good excuse to spend more time with the timid girl.

They hadn’t spoken to each other as much as he had with Nino, Alya or even Chloé.  
Something that was on his ‘things to change before it’s too late’ list.

“Sure.” He finally answered with a shrug. “I’ve got a bit of time to spare.”

“Perfect! I know Mari would very much appreciate it too.” She stated with a big smile before turning her attention back to her phone for a couple of seconds, frantically typing something on it.

“I just hope she’ll get better soon. That must be some flu if it’s lasting this long.”

The girl nodded in agreement.

“She told me she caught it during the weekend. Hasn’t left bed since.”

Adrien pondered for a few seconds, if Alya was going out there to look for Ladybug, perhaps she could ,unknowingly, do him a favor as well.

“Will you update the blog when you spot Ladybug?” He asked her. “I’m kinda wondering why she hasn’t showed up myself. She’s usually quick to get to a scene.”

“Absolutely!” Alya exclaimed. “The blog has been running on fan submissions and theories for the last few days, I have to give a scoop soon otherwise my readers will go rabid.” She laughed.

He couldn’t help but let out a few snickers of his own.

“Speaking of fan submissions. Check this out!” The glasses wearing girl swiped the screen on her phone before showing him an image on it. “I was talking to Marinette last week about there not being any official place to get Ladybug and Chat Noir merchandise and she just designed these things during our conversation!”

He felt a smile creep up on him as his eyes laid upon two sketches of Chat Noir and Ladybug themed hoodies.

“Pretty cool huh?” Alya continued. “She’s going to make the Ladybug one for my birthday.”  
  
“Do you think she’ll make me one for my birthday?” He found himself asking.

True. His birthday wasn’t until much later in the year, but something about it’s design was appealing to him.

He wanted to wear one too.  
No matter if polka dots looked horrible on him or not.

She snorted in reply.

“You do know you could just ask her to make you one. She probably wouldn’t mind.”

“Yeah but....I don’t know.” He bit his lip. “I always have this feeling that I make her uncomfortable or something? She seems to be stuttering a lot when she talks to me. It would be weird to ask.”

She shrugged her shoulders in response and tried to avoid his gaze when she answered back.. “Haven’t noticed it really. Buuuuuut it can’t hurt to ask and you can always ask it as a commission instead if that helps any.”

Putting away her phone, she was about to walk away.

“I’ve also put a get well card, somewhere in that pile. Don’t forget to sign it and give it to her! Oh! We’re having a scary movie night this Saturday at Nino’s house. You’re invited if you can make it.” The smile on her face turning into a small grin. “See ya tomorrow.”

“See ya Alya.”

When the door to the locker room shut, Adrien looked at the small pile of papers.  
Four days worth of homework resting in his arms.   
He almost felt sorry for Marinette, needing to catch up on all of it when she got better.   
Perhaps he could find some time to help her out.

“Are you going to stand there all day or are we going? The sooner we get this over with the sooner you can give me my cheeessseee!” Plagg whined.

Amused at the Kwami’s impatience, he shook his head and let out a small sigh before making his way to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Adrien noticed as he approached the building, was that the bakery itself wasn’t lit at all.  
The second thing he noticed was the lack of smell.  
The smell of freshly baked bread to be more precise.

Things became a bit more clear, as well as more confusing, when the sign on the door read ‘closed’ instead of ‘open’.

Which was strange during this time of day.

“I think glasses wearing girl pulled a prank on you.” The small cat giggled from his hiding spot in Adrien’s bag.

The boy frowned. “She better not have. This isn’t very funny.” He muttered before getting his own phone and dialing Alya’s number.

Not only was he wasting precious time he could have used looking for his Lady, Marinette wouldn’t be getting her homework until he had time to stop by again.

Which could take a couple of days, knowing his schedule.

Impatiently he tapped his foot before he got an answer.

“Very funny Alya.”

“What is?”

She sounded confused.

There was no amusement in her voice that would be there if she knew he was standing in front of a closed door.

“The bakery is closed. There’s nobody here.”

“There should be? I walked by it this morning. It was open then.”

“Did Marinette say anything about not being home today?”

“No. I wouldn’t have send you there if I knew that and I talked to her through text this morning.” Was Alya’s reply.

That heavy feeling that he had been carrying all day, started to feel heavier.

“So you’re not pranking me?”

“Adrien. Honey. If I was going to pull a prank on you, I would be there to see the result and laugh at your misfortune.”

“And film it no doubt?”

“For blackmail purposes of course.”

“At least you’re honest.” Adrien admitted.

But it still left him to ponder what to do next.  
He took over Alya’s responsibility to get things delivered after all.

“I’ll try to text Mari again. See if she’ll answer.”  
  
“Okay. But...what am I going to do with all this homework?”

“Put it through the mail slot?”

“I’d rather hand it to her personally...but if this is the only way.” He paused for a moment. “Hey, please tell her that I’m sorry for getting all the papers scattered across the floor okay.”

He heard the girl at the other side of the line giggle.

“Sure thing. I’m pretty sure all the assignments aren’t in order to begin with. So I doubt she’ll mind.”

“Thanks Alya.”

“No problem. I’m going back to my Ladybug hunting. Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

After he hung up, the boy found himself staring at the door.  
It wouldn’t be right just dumping it all through the mail slot.

Maybe Marinette was home?

Maybe it was just her parents that needed to go out and close up the shop for the afternoon.

Too bad he couldn’t know for sure.

Well...Adrien couldn’t know for sure.

Didn’t Marinette have some kind of skylight, hatch, thing leading up to her room?  
As Chat he could peek through and see if she was there.

A little voice in the back of his mind screamed that it was a bad idea.

Nonetheless, he found the nearest hiding spot, transformed and before he knew it, he was landing on the small balcony of her home as gracefully as he could with the stack of papers in his hands..

Carefully peeking through the window, he noticed the bed was made and empty.  
Aside from the sunlight peering through the blinds, there was nothing else to illuminate the room.

“Guess it’s ‘drown Adrien in bad feelings’ day.” He muttered to himself before opening the hatch.

With a soft thud the hero dropped himself into her room.

Ears perked.

Hoping to hear a sound of movement, of life, anywhere in the house.  
  
A sign that would assure him that his friend was home, so that the growing worry for her would die down in an instant.

Leaving him only to deal with, potential unnecessary, worry for Ladybug.

No sound reached his ears.

No footsteps walking around or words being spoken.

Just complete silence.

Jumping down from the platform her bed was on, he put the stack of papers on her desk.  
His eyes falling on a set of unfinished designs scattered on it’s surface.   
Designs he recognized as being Chat Noir and Ladybug themed in some way.

Skirts.

Beanies.

Purses.

T-shirts.

Bags.

A wave of warmth rushed through him.  
Adrien wasn’t sure if it was pride or flattery.   
But he caught himself smiling knowing that, in his eyes, such an amazing person and designer had clearly found inspiration in his Lady and himself.

The hero made a mental note to find out how many ideas she actually had when...she...would...be better again.

For but a small moment, he forgot why he was breaking into her room in the first place.  
He also almost forgot that, by all logic, Adrien wasn’t supposed to be able to deliver the papers directly to her room.

Grabbing a small scrap of paper from the many already littering her desk, he scribbled down a short message for Marinette.  
If she wasn’t happy with how he had handled things, she could scold him later when they would cross paths again.   
Knowing himself, that would probably happen soon enough.   
Even if it was just to check up on her well being.

_‘Helped a guy deliver your homework to you._

_Store was closed. He said you are sick._

_Nobody seems to be home so forgive this cat for sneaking in._ _  
_ _  
_ _Hope you’re feline better soon princess.’_

Chat Noir signed the message and added a crudely drawn, winking, cat face next to it.

Pleased with the cover up of his unethical way of delivering homework, he exited the room the way he came in.  
  
He wanted to forget about the, eerie feeling of the abandoned bakery for the rest of his day.   
Yet the sight of the dark building kept haunting him during his lonely patrol run as Chat Noir.   
As far as he knew, Marinette’s parents hardly ever closed the bakery when it wasn’t a holiday or a Sunday.   
  
It was just...odd.   
  
Odd enough that it didn’t seem leave his thoughts.   
  
Along with a newfound worry for Marinette herself.   
If she really had the flu, why wasn’t she resting like she should?   
She didn’t seem like the type to just not show up for school for days on end either.   
  
Neither did his Lady seem the type to just abandon him without any warning.   
  
Scratch that.   
  
He knew she wasn’t the type to do something like that!   
She had warned him before.   
  
_“Chat, I’m going to be out of town for the weekend.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Chat, I’m falling behind on my homework. I hope you don’t mind skipping patrol today.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Chat, I have to help my dad with something, so I’ll be late.”_ _  
_   
Over the last few days, Plagg had tried to ease the worries of the boy.   
But Adrien came to realise, that eventually the small cat didn’t believe the possible reasons for Ladybug’s absence anymore either.   
  
He felt too involved in all of it and couldn’t seem to simply let it all go.   
It irked him to no end that whatever peace of mind he had, had vanished in the last couple of days.

Weeks?  
Months?   
How long had it even been since his partner vanished?   
  
He couldn’t remember exactly.   
What he did know was that he couldn’t focus on his current patrol run because of it.   
Not like he was supposed to.   
With a frown, he turned around on the rooftop he was standing on to collect his thoughts.   
Ready to head home again and call it a night.   
  
He didn’t plan on stopping until he had jumped back into his room.   
  
But he did stop.   
  
His gaze fixed on the Dupain-Cheng bakery the moment it came into view.   
  
While it was abandoned and completely dark earlier that day, light illuminated the living space above the shop.   
Figures were seen moving about.   
One was gesturing wildly with their arms while pacing back and forth through, what he remembered to be, the kitchen area.   
Surely there was a lively conversation going on in there.   
The movement of the figure reminding him how Marinette sometimes used her arms during conversations.   
  
Adrien smiled slightly at the memory, only to frown when he realized it had been a while since he had last seen her do that.   
  
He hoped she was feeling okay.   
That, at the very least, the get well soon card Alya had him deliver, had made her feel a bit better.   
  
The card, he suddenly realized, he forgot to sign.   
  
“ Crud! Alya will have my head!” The hero hissed to himself.   
  
Was it too late to correct his mistake?   
All he had to do was sneak back into Mari’s room and sign the card.   
Crisis averted.   
And more importantly, Alya would be none the wiser about his screw up.   
  
It was worth a try.   
He couldn’t imagine how Marinette must feel, thinking she was his friend, but he didn’t put his name on there while her other friends did.   
That was the last thing he wanted to do.   
Make her think that he didn’t think of her as a friend.   
Because that was far from the case.   
  
With a huff, Chat Noir leaped of his current rooftop and made his way to Marinette’s balcony and carefully peeked down the small skylight.   
  
He couldn’t see any light burning in the girl’s room.   
But he could make out her sleeping form, steadily breathing under the covers.   
  
He couldn’t sneak in now.   
She would wake up for sure!   
  
He bit his lip, trying to come up with another plan that didn’t involve disturbing her sleep and avoiding, her very likely, angry best friend the day after.   
Unfortunately he drew a blank on any backup plans.   
And while it was tempting to just wake the girl up and have a nice late night conversation, he doubted Marinette herself would appreciate that too.   
  
With no other idea coming to mind, he reluctantly resumed his way back home.   
When his home came into view, the backup plan he was looking for decided to make its presence known.

“I thought you wanted to stay out longer and look for Ladybug?” Plagg asked confused as Adrien de-transformed in his room. “Not that I’m complaining about calling it a day early.”

“I do want to look longer.” Hastily the boy found his phone and scrolled through his contacts before calling the one he was looking for. “But Alya will have my head when she finds out that I didn’t sign that thing.”

“Ah.” Was the Kwami’s short reply. “I’ll put a daisy on your grave kid.”

He shot the small cat creature a glare.  
Not that he noticed it as he occupied himself with opening a wheel of camembert.

His voice was filled with panic the moment he heard his best friend’s voice on the other side of the line. “Nino! Listen. I need Marinette’s number asap.”  


* * *

  
The next day, it seemed that his classmate wasn’t better just yet.

He wondered if she even read the note he had left her as Chat, or if she was going to reply to the late text he had send her, wishing for her to have a quick recovery.

With the latter, he knew she had read it at least.  
Somewhere in the middle of the night as the timestamp on the chat app said.   
If anything, it was a sign of life coming from the dark haired girl.

Which was more than what all his text messages to Ladybug ended up getting.  
He had send her at least one every couple of hours as Chat Noir over the last few….weeks?   
Had it really been weeks already?   
  
He decided to ask Alya about the specifics later.   
If anyone was keeping track it would be her.   
Especially since the girl was determined to solve ‘the case of the missing Ladybug’, as she had dubbed the situation.

All the attempts of contacting his partner had been in vain however, as not a single message had been answered so far.  
  
Not knowing what had happened to her was starting to take it’s toll him.   
Something he refused to admit, but found himself fighting regardless.

The hours of sleep he once got seemed a lot shorter than they used to be.  
He had caught himself dozing off during classes multiple times in the last week alone.   
Nino nudging him back to the world of the living on more than one occasion, waving off his tired state as the result of too many extra piano lessons and photo shoots.   
Avoiding any lectures from both Nino and Alya so far about the importance of rest.   
  
Though he figured it would be a matter of time before they would pull him aside and demanded that he would sleep like a normal person.   
  
But that was far from what he dubbed the worst thing about handling Akuma by himself, looking for Ladybug and worrying about Marinette at the same time.

The worst thing being that he only had Plagg to talk to about all of this.

Which didn’t help much as the Kwami wasn’t great in giving advice in the first place.

No.  
  
He shouldn’t think like that.   
  
While Plagg wasn’t the best giver of advice, he was the best listener.   
  
He wasn’t the worst thing, he was the thing that kept a little bit of hope inside of him that things would turn out alright.   
Even if the Kwami sometimes didn’t believe his own encouragement, as long as they were able to joke around together, he would be okay.   
It was a sign that everything was going to be okay wasn’t it?

His thoughts wandered again.

Eyes fixated on the textbook in front of him, not turning a page, not even writing something down.

It wasn’t until Nino gently nudged him back to reality, that he had realized someone had called his name.  
While he expected it to be their teacher, it was in fact Marinette’s father that did so.   
Adrien had no idea when the man had entered the classroom, but he had a sad and tired look on his face and an envelope offered to him.   
Others being hold in his other hand.

Confused, the boy stood up and noticed something he had completely missed when zoning out.  
The feeling of heavy tension in the room.   
The kind he was familiar with.   
The same kind that hung around the Agreste household for months after his mother had vanished.   
  
With shaking hands he took the envelope from the baker.   
His name was handwritten on there.

The ‘I’ dotted with a small heart.

The lines of the letters slightly shaky.  
  
Returning back to his seat, he noticed half the class had an envelope already.   
Which made him wonder how much of any explanation he had missed before Nino had pulled him out of his thoughts.   
  
The class remained eerily silent as Marinette’s father muttered the other names on the envelopes and gave them to the people walking over to him.   
Even Chloé, who normally had a snarky remark ready for any occasion, remained silent.   
Eyeing the envelope with her name on it the same way he had.   
  
Her head turned towards Adrien and they exchanged a look.   
Hers was one that was hoping from an answer from him.   
He merely shook his head with a slight shrug of his shoulders.   
  
Frankly he didn’t know why she was turning to him for something like that.   
If anyone was able to dig up the tiniest of details, it would have been Chloé.   
That she was left in the dark as much as he was didn’t feel like a good sign.

“Marinette requested that you read the letters when you get home.” The baker continued. “And if anyone would like to visit her, please let her mother and myself know.”

Things seemed even more confusing now.  
  
How much did he actually miss?

Was this related to the absence of his classmate?

 

He wanted to nudge Nino back and ask what the large man was talking about.  
But when he turned to look at his friend, there was a solemn frown on his face.   
A look of worry even.

When Tom Dupain left the classroom, the silence was broken immediately by whispers of gossip.

Adrien turned around to face Alya.  
As Marinette’s best friend, surely she would know something.   
Before he could ask her, Nino had already beat him to the punch.

“Hey Al. Did...did Marinette like...tell you if something is going on?”

“N-No.”came the shaky reply. “She seemed just fine enough when we talked yesterday. Didn’t say anything about something being wrong. Just that...she wasn’t feeling well yet.”

She anxiously fidgeted with the corner of the envelope she was given.  
Eventually she opted to open the letter anyway.

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked.

“It’s last period anyway and class is just about over.” She muttered, pulling out a letter from the envelope.

And indeed, as if on cue, the bell rang.  
Signalling the end of the day.  
  
Though honestly Adrien couldn’t remember half of it.  
Which he was slowly getting used to these last few days.

He carefully studied the changes on her face as she read the words on the piece of paper.  
The classroom slowly becoming empty as everyone left except for the three friends and Chloé.

Alya started to shake.

Failing to hold back tears.  
  
The sound of paper ripping echoed between the soft sobs of the glasses wearing girl.

Both Nino and himself rushing to Alya’s side, trying to calm her down before Nino offered to bring her home, leading her out of the classroom.

Adrien had never seen the girl that shook up before.  
  
He turned to the one other person left in the classroom with him.   
Her lips were pressed in a thin line and she noticed her blue eyes watering slightly.   
Eventually muttering obscenities he didn’t even know she knew, with an angry scowl on her face.   
  
“Chloé.” He softly started.   
  
“She’s doing this on purpose.” The girl hissed through her tears. “I just know it!”   
  
He remained silent.   
  
“She’s doing this on purpose so I’m f-feeling b-bad about all the stuff I said to her.”   
  
Gently he laid a hand on her shoulder, feeling her shake slightly under his touch.   
  
“And it’s working! That airhead is actually making me feel bad!” She raged on.   
  
He knew she wanted to cry.   
Every tense part of her body let him know that much.   
He didn’t know why and he was afraid to ask about what was written in her letter or what she was rambling on about.   
But he also knew her longer than today.   
Chloé Bourgeois never cried.   
At least not in front of anyone.   
  
“You have Marinette’s phone number right.”   
  
Adrien blinked at the sudden demand. “Uh. Yeah I do.” He muttered before fishing his phone out of his pocket and showing her the contact info.   
  
“Good! I’ll make her get angry at me!”   
  
“You okay Chlo?”   
  
“No.” Was her short reply before punching the numbers on her own phone. “She should yell at me! I-I shouldn’t be feeling sorry for her.”   
  
The blonde groaned impatiently as she waited for the phone to be picked up.   
Mumbling something under her breath about not wanting to go out of trouble to find a new rival worth her while.   
Something Adrien didn’t know the meaning off.   
  
“Voicemail.” She sighed.   
  
“Can I…”   
  
“Ugh!”   
  
Clearly she was in the kind of mood that he had yet to name.   
One he had only seen one time before when she had dragged him to a designer store to show off a new dress she had been eyeing.   
Only to find out it was already sold off to another and during her ranting to the store clerks and himself, he could have sworn she went through seven different kinds of emotions.   
Nothing he had tried to say to her worked to calm her back down then.   
  
“Why don’t you go shopping? That always cheers you up.”   
  
“I’m not…” Again she sighed. “Yeah okay. I guess a little shopping can’t hurt and then I can give that pea brain a ear full about pulling this tasteless prank!”   
  
He found himself even more lost than a few minutes ago when he woke up from his daze.   
  
“It has to be a prank! She’s just trying to get to everyone! Especially me!”   
Adrien wasn’t able to try and calm her down any further, as Chloé stormed angrily out of the room.   
  
Everything after that became a blur.

The ride home.

The short greeting to Nathalie.

Walking to his room.

The motion of opening his bag and pulling out the letter.

“So eh...that girl wasn’t really responding well to whatever was in that letter huh?”  
  
He wasn’t sure if he was referring to Alya or Chloé.   
But in all honesty both didn’t seem to respond in a positive way.

“No.”

“Are you afraid to open it?”

“Very afraid Plagg.”

He took a deep breath.

And another.

One more.

Slowly he opened the envelope and began reading.

First the whole sentences.

Then came the part which he suspected had left Alya so upset and Chloé raging.

Mention of it being hard for Marinette to move her muscles.

To walk.

To stand.

To do anything she used to do.

As well as that doctors had yet to find a cause, but feared it might spread to her heart in due time.

That the crutches she was using occasionally now, could be replaced by a wheelchair in matter of a couple of weeks.

What little words he could read after that revelation hardly registered in his head.

Words of love?

Words of regret?

Words that described how much he meant to her.

Words that made him shed tears he didn’t know he was shedding until a drop stained the paper in his hands.

Plagg tried his best to console him.

Which in the case of the small creature meant giving the boy a couple of pats on his arm until he had stopped crying.  
  
His heart ached.   
  
For the first time since his mother had disappeared, his heart ached again.   
  
She didn’t deserve this.   
  
Marinette was the sweetest girl that had ended up being part of his life.   
She still had big plans and dreams to fulfill.   
She had enough energy to take on the world most of the time.   
She was his first friend.   
  
But this letter….felt like she had thrown everything away already.   
  
And that hurt him.   
  
Knowing he would lose someone who really was dear to him.   
Whom, going by what he could gather from her letter, held him in the same regard.   
  
He felt his phone buzz in his pocket but didn’t feel like paying attention to it.   
  
Reluctantly his eyes scanned over the tear stained letter once again.   
His mind racing, heart pounding.   
Not really being aware of his surroundings.   
  
A knock came on his door.   
  
It opened carefully when he didn’t answer.   
  
“Son?”   
  
Adrien shot up when he heard the familiar voice call out out to him.   
  
Of all the surprises that had come on his path already, his father entering his room wasn’t one he did expect.   
  
“Y-Yes father.” Hastily the remainder of his tears were wiped away with his hand.   
  
The stern look his father usually wore on his face softened once he noticed the tears stains on his son’s skin.   
  
He sat down on the bed next to Adrien and urged him to talk to him.   
  
“If this is about your mother….” Gabriel started.   
  
“N-No...I mean yes. I still miss her so….so much but...no that’s not…”   
  
Not being able to find the right words to explain things to him, he handed his father the letter.   
Seconds seemed to last for hours, as he patiently waited for the man to finish reading.   
A gently hand being placed on his shoulder the moment Gabriel had.   
  
“Is she a close friend of yours?”   
  
Adrien nodded.   
  
“She’s amazing. S-She won the bowler hat designer competition last year.”   
  
Strangely, he found his breathing starting to calm down.   
Perhaps it was because, for once, his father showed he was willing show support.   
Even if it was merely by listening.   
  
“I remember her.” Gabriel nodded. “Pitty to see such potential go so soon.”   
  
Adrien frowned at that statement.   
Perhaps his father meant well, but Marinette was more than just designer potential.   
  
“I don’t want her to die.” He muttered. “She shouldn’t.”   
  
“What are you going to do about that son?”   
  
He frowned even deeper at such an odd question.   
  
“What can I even do about it?”   
  
The man stood up and gave his son a comforting pat on the back.   
  
“You let me know once you find out.” Was all he said before leaving the room again.   
  
It wasn’t long until Adrien found himself slipping back into the same warm daze, he had been in before Nino nudged him awake.   
It was the closest thing to rest he got that night.   
  
It wasn’t until Plagg had woken him up from his fourth attempt at sleep that he noticed it wasn’t because his Kwami didn’t allow him to rest.   
But more so because of the constant buzzing of his phone that early Saturday morning, that prevented the cat from sleeping himself.   
Groggily he turned on the screen of the device.   
Texts from Alya, Nino and even Chloé were the first thing that popped up.   
As well as an invitation to a group chat Alya had set up.   
One to discuss if they should do something for Marinette, and if yes, what exactly.   
  
He briefly skimmed through all the conversations to at least get to know the major details of them.   
  
Alya mentioned to him that she was going to visit her best friend for the evening and talk things over as much as they could.   
Fearing that she had been hiding some details that she hadn’t mentioned in any of the letters she wrote.   
  
Nino was very much aware that he had been throwing his messages to the equivalent of a brick wall the afternoon he left.   
Doubting back and forth if he should open the letter and later not blaming Adrien for not answering when he finally did.   
  
Chloé….   
Chloé had taken his advice and went shopping to cool herself down.   
Only to end up typing a whole confession about how she didn’t really hate Marinette or thought she was dumb.   
That all the mean things she had said was just to establish her superiority among their classmates.   
Something she had feared the girl could take away from her.   
Only to take it all back five minutes later.   
Telling him to forget about everything she wrote down.   
  
Adrien still wasn’t sure if he quite understood what she meant by all that, or her actions, but was glad to know that she, at the very least, didn’t seem stuck in a rotation of seven different emotions anymore.   
Instead it seemed it had toned down to two at most.   
  
“You look like Hell.” Plagg muttered as the boy threw his phone somewhere on the bed. He’d deal with replying to everyone later.  “Also you’re out of cheese.”   
  
“I feel like Hell and I’ll sneak down to the kitchen to get you some later.”   
  
“Can we sleep for the whole day? I think we both need it.”   
  
For once, Adrien couldn’t really disagree to the suggestion to lazy about for a while.   
He needed it.   
Plagg probably needed it from the extra times he transformed into Chat Noir over the past weeks.   
If not to fight Akuma, then to look for Ladybug.   
  
“Don’t know.” He sighed. “Turn on the news and see if there are any Akuma running around. If not...we’ll sleep in for a couple of hours.”   
Could he even sleep?   
Didn’t he have anything planned for the day?   
  
As he lay in his bed, his mind began to ponder if he had time to rest, the voice of the news reporter excitedly announced the sighting of another Akuma as well as hopes for Ladybug to arrive.   
  
The Kwami sounded as displeased with this development as he was. “Wake up kid. Time to suit up.”   
  
“How bad does it look?”   
  
“What do you mean?”   
  
Adrien groaned slightly.   
  
“How silly is the Akuma? A real danger or just something uncreative Hawkmoth thought up again.”   
  
“Eh…...the latter I guess.” Plagg shrugged. “It’s some overdressed guy playing the violin and making people dance.”   
  
“So that gives us what? An hour of extra time we can use not showing up.”   
  
“Not that I don’t like this new side of you, but what have you done with the real Adrien.”   
  
The boy forced a small smile.   
  
“He’s taking your example for once and taking things as easy as he can.”   
  
“I’m so proud of y- IS THAT LADYBUG!”   
  
He jumped out of his bed faster than he thought he was ever able too.   
Rushing to the television, he indeed saw his partner trying her best to fight off the Akuma.   
But there was something...odd about it all.   
Her movement seemed sluggish to him the longer he looked at her.   
Her stance wasn’t strong either and the way she dodged wasn’t as graceful as it once was.   
  
“We need to go help her.”   
  
“Yeah...she’s not….looking too sharp.”   
  
Adrien frowned.   
If even Plagg noticed the same thing he did….   
He shuddered at the possibility of there really being something wrong with his Lady.   
Something she wasn’t hiding well enough for the lazy Kwami to not notice.   
  
He ordered the black cat to transform him.   
  
His heart raced.   
  
Rushing of the wind filled his ears as he jumped over the rooftops.   
  
Usual banter was exchanged once the two heroes met again.   
  
_Like she had been there all along._   
  
The Akuma was defeated swiftly and for the first time in weeks it wasn’t a hasty stomp with his boot that had saved the day.   
  
_Like he was used to seeing._   
  
She was about to make a quick exit as her earrings gave their first beep.   
  
_Like she always did._   
  
Before she could however, he had grabbed her hand. “Ladybug please wait!”   
  
Her voice was but a mere whisper at this point. “Chat.”   
  
“We need to talk.” He pleaded with a soft expression on his face. “Please.”   
  
She turned away from him for a moment before slowly nodding.   
  
“Tonight?”   
  
“Tonight.” He confirmed.   
  
Again she nodded.   
  
“The base of the tower. I’ll be there at eight.”   
  
He reluctantly let go of her hand and watched her jog away instead of using her magical yo-yo to fling herself across the rooftops.   
  
He was tempted to follow her, but with her already being on the clock, he would surely figure out her true identity.   
Which he knew she wouldn’t appreciate.   
Not at the moment.   
  
It still left the question why she wouldn’t even try using the toy.   
  
After a minute of pondering Chat Noir came to one logical possibility.   
  
It was because she couldn’t.   
  
Was there something wrong with her Kwami?   
  
Or even her Miraculous?   
  
Questions that he didn’t doubt, would be answered that night regardless.   
  
His way back home didn’t feel like it was supposed to feel.   
He expected to be happy and thrilled that Ladybug was back in action, a sign of there still being a little light left in his life after the heartbreaking news of the day prior.   
Instead that lingering worry for his partner had returned ten fold and for some reason he feared that she might disappear again.   
  
Then again, he might be overthinking things.   
As Plagg had continuously told him the past few weeks.   
  
Something he really didn’t find himself doing often, especially in a negative light.   
But Marinette, and especially Ladybug, were precious to him.   
And the universe had been cruel once before and taken someone precious from his life.   
Now with his friend going into the same direction……   
  
The mere thought of the same fate awaiting the love of his life scared him.   
It took him most of the day to shake that thought off and even then it didn’t feel like it had vanished completely.   
  
Like the days prior, even the Saturday ended up being mostly a blur to him.   
Adrien remembered the Akuma attack and the short conversation with Ladybug clearly, but everything after that were mere loose puzzle pieces in his memory.   
  
Before he knew it, he found himself at their usual spot on the Eiffel Tower.   
The outside air seemed to clear his mind somewhat.   
  
Chat Noir breathed in deeply.

Letting the moist, cold, air of the season flow inside him before pushing it past his lips in a long sigh.

It all seemed so familiar.  
  
Like the last time he was waiting for her.   
Only he wasn’t peering down at the crowd below the tower that time.   
Searching for that familiar shade of red he knew would show up.   
  
At precisely eight o’clock, he found what he was looking for.   
Slowly making her way to the tower, a small group of people following her.   
Most likely reporters, Chat figured.   
Even more hungry for answers than he was.   
  
Something she could easily walk away from if she used her weapon.   
Which he noticed she still didn’t use.   
  
He could leave her down there to satisfy the curiosity of the small crowd around her.   
But he could also whisk her away back to their usual meeting spot.   
He was still a hero after all and she did seem in need of saving.   
  
Who was he to ignore the unspoken need of his Lady.   
  
He breathed in deeply again, trying to shake of that remaining heavy feeling that had been brewing in his stomach for a while, before jumping down from the tower.   
  
“Please, I can’t tell anything. Not yet.” He heard Ladybug plead to the reporters. “But I will explain everything soon.”   
  
“My Lady!”   
  
The reporters turned to his direction the moment he called to her.   
Questions she couldn’t answer were suddenly fired at him.   
Chat Noir smiled politely to them as he approached his partner, wrapping one arm around her hip before pulling her close to him.   
  
“I know you all have a lot of questions.” He started, letting his baton stretch out the moment he spoke. “But Ladybug and myself are supposed to be eating cookies and discussing plans to bring down Hawkmoth right now.”   
  
This earned him a couple of confusing mutters among the reporters and Ladybug wrapping her arms around his neck in response.   
  
He was glad to notice her observation skills weren’t as clunky as her fighting had been earlier.   
That was good? Wasn’t it?   
  
“Unfortunately I’m all out of cookies and Ladybug here is already a couple of weeks late for our meeting. So we best be off. Adieu!”   
  
Without giving as much as a warning, he pulled them both up in the air thanks to his weapon.   
Landing safely at the very top of the Eiffel Tower.   
  
“Thanks Chat.”   
  
He bowed dramatically. Having no problem falling back into their usual routine.   
  
“It was my purrleasure my Lady.”   
  
She giggled in response.   
A sound he had not heard in a long while.   
  
“I missed you.” She suddenly whispered.   
  
He stood back up when he heard her say that.   
Really being able to look at her closely again for the first time in weeks.   
The wind playing with her hair.   
Her soft lips pushed in a small smile.   
The way she carefully grasped the envelope in her hand.   
  
He frowned when he noticed that.   
  
Had she been given that by one of the reporters?   
Or had she been carrying it since she transformed?   
She seemed to look rather frail too.   
Not as strong, sturdy and confident he had seen her as last.   
  
“I missed you too.” He eventually sighed back.   
  
A small moment of silence fell between the two heroes.   
Neither of them knowing where to start their conversation. Or how to even start it.   
  
“W-We should probably talk.”   
  
“Yeah. We should.” Chat sat down, she followed his example and scooted closer to him.   
  
The blonde watched as she fidgeted with the paper object in her hand.   
Clearly something was on her mind, something that made her seem tense.   
  
He decided to start their conversation. “You were gone for so long without letting me know. What happened?”   
  
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it with a big sigh.   
  
“Y-You should probably read this Chat. I wanted to tell you sooner but….”   
  
She offered him the envelope.   
  
At this moment Chat Noir started to despise the mere sight of it.   
The last time someone handed him one, it didn’t have good news.   
  
Flipping it over, he noticed she had written down his name on the front of it.   
A small heart dotting the ‘I’ and the lines looking a little shaky.   
  
His eyes widened.   
  
He knew of only one other person who had dotted the I with a small heart.   
Whom couldn’t keep a steady hand anymore because of the reasons she had stated in the letter.   
  
If.   
  
If Ladybug and Marinette were the same person, it would explain it all.   
  
Her weeks of vanishing.   
  
Not being able to move as swift and well as she used to be able to.   
  
Not using her yo-yo, probably because she was losing strength in her arms.   
  
All the pieces seemed to fall into the right place all of a sudden.   
  
She frowned a bit when she noticed he wasn’t opening her letter. “You should really read it.” She urged.   
  
He swallowed hard. “I don’t have to.”   
  
Perhaps he was jumping to conclusions too soon, but if she reacted to her name he would know soon enough if he was right or not.   
If he wasn’t, they could both laugh at his mistake later.   
  
“I know what’s going to be in here and I don’t think I’ll survive another one of these from you Marinette.” He continued.   
  
Her eyes widened in response.   
He had never seen her this surprised before and they had fought a lot of unpredictable foes in the time they were protecting the city.   
  
Chat Noir expected her to deny his claim too. Wave it all off. But...she didn’t.   
  
“How long have you known?”   
  
“For about thirty seconds.”   
  
He elaborated once he noticed her confused expression. The letter being stuffed in the small pocket of his suit. “Your father handed out similar envelops yesterday. I euh….noticed the handwriting on this and...well it’s the same as the other one.”   
  
“If papa gave you a letter already...then that means…”   
  
She didn’t finish her sentence, but he could tell that she had figured it out at least.   
That he was one of her classmates.   
  
“I could tell you who I am if you want me to.”   
  
Ladybug shook her head.   
  
“You’re Chat Noir.” She stated. “You’re my partner, one of my best friends and I love you for all of that and…. I.” She swallowed before continuing. “I….don’t think I would want to remember you as anyone else. Because that’s who I got to know during all this time.”   
  
In any other situation, his heart would jump and he would glow at her words of affection.   
But now...it felt like she was saying goodbye to him instead.   
She sounded like she had found peace with the idea that she wouldn’t be able to walk soon, but the tone in her voice told him otherwise.   
  
“Marinette....” The hero sighed sadly.   
  
“I’m sorry. For just abandoning you like that. I didn’t want to….”   
  
“Don’t be. I’m not angry with you for leaving me out there to deal with everything. I’m not angry for you for anything.” He licked his lips briefly, trying of a way to explain things more clearly. “I’ve been...worried about you mostly….”   
  
“I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry.”   
  
“Will...you be alright?” He carefully asked. “Isn’t there a way to find a cure?”   
  
“There is but…”   
  
He waited for her to continue, but when the girl didn’t he realized the solution might not be as simple as taking a pill or two.   
  
“But?”   
  
“Remember when I told you how my parents got mad at me a couple of weeks ago. About not being responsible?”   
  
He blinked at her question.   
  
“I remember. You were having a bad day too right?”   
  
She nodded. “They weren’t mad at me for not doing my homework. They weren’t even angry.” She bit down on her lip to fight back tears she felt surfacing. “That was the day I found out my muscles are...failing. They said it was better to stay home and rest and do the responsible thing...but I wanted to go to school and pretend everything was normal...I didn’t want to make anyone worry about this.”   
  
The more pauses she let drop between her words, the more his heart ached.   
Instinctively he took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it.   
  
“And the…” Her breathing started to become uneven while she spoke. “The doctors told me...that there are some...specialists...in Sweden that could...help me?”   
  
He squeezed her hand a little harder.   
  
“But...it’s really expensive and...the insurance isn’t helping much...and….mama and papa would lose the….the bakery and….and...”   
  
Tears flowed down her face.   
His heart ached even more at the sight.   
Without a second thought he pulled her into a hug, he felt her clinging onto him hard.   
Burying her face in the nape of his neck as he used one hand to rub small circles on her back and the other to pet her hair.   
  
“They would be...homeless if I don’t...m-m-make it….a-and I d-don’t want them...to….It would b-b-be my fault.”   
  
“S-So you’re just giving up? That’s not like you my Lady.”   
  
Chat Noir felt his eyes sting at the mere implication that the answer to his question would be a solid ‘yes’.   
  
“W-What else can I d-d-do?”   
  
That was a good question.   
What else could she do?   
If he were in her shoes, he would have done the same.   
Leaving life without letting loved ones to deal with a difficult aftermath of it all.   
Losing someone was hard enough on it’s own. He knew this.   
He was still dealing with it.   
  
Still...he wasn’t ready let her go so easily and say his goodbye’s.   
She had been one of the few good things in his life after all.   
There had to be a way.   
  
The words his father had spoken to him the evening before suddenly echoed through his head.   
  
_“You let me know once you find out.”_   
  
“Live.” Was his short reply.   
  
She pulled away from his embrace and looked at him with a confused look.   
  
“It’s not that e-easy.” She sniffled. “I would b-be lucky i-if I made it to see m-my eighteenth b-birthday. How can I l-live knowing that.”   
  
“By not giving up so quickly. By...letting me help you as much as I can. Because….”   
  
Chat Noir breathed in deeply, trying to hold back his tears.   
Ultimately he failed as they easily shed from his green eyes.   
As easy as the previous day.   
But he did not feel as helpless as he did back then.   
Because now he knew what needed to be done to help her.   
At least as much as he could while not being a doctor.   
It would probably take a lot of begging and compromising towards his father on his part.   
But he was willing to do anything to keep her as part of his life and if being the anonymous financial donor for any treatment she needed was the way to do it, so be it.   
  
“Because….I don’t want to see you give up….on your dream t-to become a designer. And...”   
  
He had to pause to breathe in deeply again.   
He wanted to tell her.   
Tell her that he loved her so much.   
But he feared that at this moment, it would make things even more difficult for her than it already was.   
He couldn’t just leave her to figure out what to do with these feelings he had for her.   
Not at this moment.   
That would be selfish.   
  
So he continued saying what first came to mind.   
  
“And I want you to be happy and d-die an old woman warm in her bed. N-Not like this.”   
  
He mentally punched himself for quoting Titanic. Even if he did mean it exactly in that way.   
  
“Minou. I….” She sighed.   
  
“Please.” Chat Noir pleaded. “Let me help you.”   
  
Her lips were pressed in a thin line as she thought about his offer for a moment.   
  
“O-Okay. I-I’ll try not to give up.”   
  
“Good.” He reached out for her cheek and brushed away any remaining tears with his thumb. “Because it’s not like you to give up on anything Mari and I’m not letting you.”   
  
She smiled after hearing his words.   
It was a sad smile.   
But as far as he could see it was genuine.   
The hero gave her back a small smile of his own in response, not pulling his hand away from her cheek.   
  
“It’s funny.” Marinette suddenly started before wrapping her fingers gently around his hand. “I feel better about all this now....But….I’m still...so scared Chaton.”   
  
“I would be more surprised if you weren’t my Lady.”   
  
She nodded again in response, the conversation falling into a peaceful moment of silence between the two.   
The hand on her cheek being moved to grasp her own hand gently.   
Caressing her fingers ever so gently with his thumbs, his gaze following the movement of his fingers.   
  
He could tell she had a lot on her mind at the moment.   
A million thoughts probably were racing through her head as her breathing finally seemed to find steady ground again.   
It was only when she called his name in a, slightly less fragile sounding voice, that the silence was broken again.   
  
“Chat?”   
  
He looked up to her.   
She didn’t look at him.   
  
“You...You’ve always wanted to kiss Ladybug haven’t you.”   
  
He grinned ever so slightly.   
  
“Oh darn. I thought I was being subtle about that.”   
  
Marinette laughed at his joke.   
A soft giggle that made his heart flutter.   
How he had forgotten that he loved making her laugh.   
  
“You really weren’t.” She giggled.   
  
Chat Noir’s grin turned into a broad smile.   
  
“Why do you ask?”   
  
“Well.” She started her smile lessening a little. “If you want to kiss Ladybug...y-you could do it now. I don’t know for how much longer I’m able to keep being Ladybug so….”   
  
Of all the surprises that had been thrown at him the past two days, this one was by far the most pleasant one.   
Not that he didn’t want to give her a kiss.   
  
“Are you sure my Lady?”   
  
She nodded.   
He leaned in closer.   
Cupping her face ever so gently, she closed her eyes and slightly pursed her lips.   
  
To press a kiss on those soft lips, it almost felt unreal.   
  
But…   
  
It mostly didn’t feel right.   
  
At the last minute he decided to give her a peck on the tip of her nose instead.   
Confusing her by his actions.   
  
“I thought-”   
  
“I want to.” He interrupted. “But not like this. Not because you feel like you owe me a kiss or something now that...well you know.... I want to kiss you when you want to kiss me too.”   
  
“Who says I don’t.”   
  
For a moment, he could see that ‘Ladybug wit’ shining through.   
  
“Because you never wanted to before.”   
  
She didn’t say anything.   
She didn’t need to say anything for him to know that he was right and he did the right thing.   
  
“For the record.” The hero continued “If you ever want a kiss from me when you’re out of costume, I’m very willing to give that to you too.”   
  
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She laughed. “But...could we talk about more serious things right now?”   
  
He shifted on the ledge he was sitting on and nodded.   
  
“Now that you know what’s going on with me...it’ll make things more difficult for you.” Ladybug started. “Like I said, I’m not sure how long it’ll take before I’m not able to be Ladybug anymore and knowing Tikki, she probably won’t let me transform sooner than I actually want so…”   
  
He watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed in deeply.   
  
“Will you be okay on your own?”   
  
His reply was short but clear. “I have been so far.”   
  
She nodded again.   
  
“Now that you know who I am, you can let me know when you need a partner again.”   
  
“Okay? I’m a little confused right now.” The boy admitted, not fully understanding what she meant.   
  
“I’ll give you my earrings and you can look for a suitable new Ladybug to take down the Akuma.” The dark haired girl explained.   
  
“Temporary Ladybug.” He frowned. “No way I’m replacing you Marinette.”   
  
Marinette smiled warmly at him. “Thank you Chat. That means a lot to me.”   
  
“Do you want to let Paris know that you won’t be in action anymore?”   
  
Once again a nod.   
  
“I was thinking about informing the Ladyblog in some way and the others will pick things up from there probably?”   
  
“I’ll take care of it.”   
  
He really didn’t want to put more pressure on the girl then needed.   
She was dealing with a lot right now to begin with.   
  
“We both will.” She assured him. “I just think I really should tell the citizens of Paris myself and...your help with it would be appreciated.”   
  
“I’ll help you any way I can. You know that.”   
  
“I know. Thank you.”   
  
“Anything else you want to discuss?”   
  
This time she shook her head.   
  
“Maybe later. I’m...feeling so tired right now.”   
  
Chat Noir stood up from his spot and offered her a hand to help her get up.   
  
“Let me bring you home.” He gently offered.   
  
“Too risky. If someone saw Ladybug being dropped off on the roof of the Dupain-Cheng bakery….”   
  
“They wouldn’t be suspicious if they saw Marinette being dropped off.”   
  
She took his hand and rose to her feet with his help.   
  
“I’m glad to know you’re still full of good ideas Kitty.”   
  
When she let her transformation drop, he noticed that Marinette and Ladybug no longer looked different to him.   
They both seemed equally as fragile at the moment, as to before when Marinette always seemed to be more delicate than his partner was.   
Though now he realised that that probably was never the case.   
  
The girl had to quickly hold onto him however, when the transformation vanished.   
Making him realize that the magic of her Miraculous had probably helped her stand up in some way.   
  
“Marinette are you alright?!” A high voice asked her with worry.   
  
“I’ll be fine Tikki.” She assured her Kwami as Chat Noir did his best to keep her body up.   
  
“I’ll just take her home.” Chat mumbled. “It’s nice to finally meet you Tikki.”   
  
The red Kwami gave a small nod. “Likewise Chat Noir. I just wished it was under better circumstances.”   
  
“I think we all would have liked that.” Marinette noted.”I...don’t think I’m having a good day anymore.”   
  
“I told you it was a bad idea. You really should have rested!” Tikki scolded gently, receiving only a low mumble in reply.   
  
With a swift movement of his hand, Chat Noir extended his baton once again.   
Ready to leap off the Eiffel tower and return the girl back to her home.   
  
“You holding on tight?” He whispered in her ear.   
  
“As best I can.”   
  
With a confident jump, he leaped of the tall structure.   
Clinging strongly to the girl all the way back to her where she lived.   
  
All the while he couldn’t help but wonder, how she would fare next time he would see her.   
Would she be able to stand up or already be in a wheelchair?   
For all they both knew, it could end in any given heartbeat.   
  
It wasn’t long until they had said their goodbyes and Chat Noir once again disappeared into the night.   
Unsure if his heart would ever stop hurting, knowing what could await the girl he loved.   



	4. That's just how we communicate **

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which not-quite-first-dates are had, jokes are made and Gabriel tries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this chapter was: “Stop complaining at least you only broke one leg?” “YOU BROKE MY LEG!” “I said I was sorry.”
> 
> I tried to write something comedic.  
> Not sure if it worked out???? But this is a long oneshot again so.....
> 
> This one is post-reveal.  
> Focussing more on a, mostly platonic, Adrinette relationship.
> 
> * * *

Chat Noir always landed on his feet.

She knew this.  
  
Ladybug had a habit of flinging him towards their opponent when the need there.  
He also knew this.  
  
Even if it always caught him by surprise.

To bystanders, the tactic looked like an impressive feat only they could do because they were superheroes.  
The truth actually was, that they were just incredibly lucky it even worked at all.

There was no thought, no finesse, no practice, no calculation behind whenever Ladybug decided flinging the cat towards danger was the best way to go.  
And it was that sheer amount of luck, that had rubbed off on Chat enough to let him land fairly unharmed and with the Akuma up for grabs and ready to be purified.  
He would often joke afterward how his ‘amazing’ cat-like reflexes helped win the day.

It seemed this day wasn’t any different.

  
Ladybug was running out of time, having already summoned her lucky charm but hadn’t found the opportunity to use it just yet.

The Akuma, a large clown that looked like he had jumped straight out of a horror movie, didn’t seem to care much about it’s surroundings.  
Launching an acid like substance from a big squirt flower on his jacket.  
Demented laughter filling the air between all the gasps, shouts and mutters from the public below them.

She couldn’t really remember how the two ended up on the rooftops with the Akuma, but Ladybug knew it was a far from ideal place to fight.  
Running out of room quickly to dodge the sprays of acid.

“Chat!” She called out to her partner.

She didn’t need to say another word as he understood what she wanted to do almost immediately.  
He made a mental not to thank her later for at least warning him this time.

He ran towards her.  
  
She crouched and hurled her yo-yo towards him, dodging another wave of acid at the same time.

The magical device wrapped around the cat’s leg tightly.  
Before he could even yelp or get a one-liner out, he was already being flung towards the Akuma.

 Chat Noir had barely enough time to take hold of the item they needed to purify. A hat made out of balloons.  
That hold was quickly released once he realized that he wasn’t going stop soaring through the air before the roof ran out.

She didn’t worry.

He always landed on his feet.

Instead she used the, red with black spotted tag she had summoned, to destroy the item.  
  
  
She was so focused on her task, that she didn’t see Chat fall in the tall space between two building.  
She didn’t hear claws scraping against stone, her partner curse out in panic, nor the sound of him hitting something solid and hard.

Gritting his teeth in pain, the hero let his transformation drop.

Looking upward he noticed the familiar pink light and the sound of the hundreds, maybe even thousands, of little magical ladybugs fixing everything.

“Didn’t quite stick that landing…but at least it’s over.” He muttered to himself.

“Thank goodness! I was worried I’d starve to death with this one!”

The boy shot his Kwami a amused look.

“And I’m the dramatic one? We still had plenty of time left.”

“Every minute away from my precious cheese is a minute of agony.”

“Again. I’m the dramatic one?” The boy laughed before trying to pull himself up from the ground.

 Unfortunately, he found himself unable to move one of his legs and not only because it hurt like hell when he tried to.

“O-Oh.”

“Oh no! Don’t give me ‘O-Oh’ kid. That’s never good.”

“Neither is the angle my leg is in.”

Plagg eyed Adrien’s left leg with a face of disgust.  
The entire lower half of his leg looked twisted and in an unnatural position.

“That’s…not supposed to bend like that is it?”

He sighed deeply. Both in frustration and trying to breath away jolts of pain.

“No.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “It’s not Plagg.”

“Want me to get Ladybug?”

“Please.”

 Forgetting about his need for cheese for a moment, the black Kwami flew upwards to the roof to inform the other hero of the situation.  
Within half a minute Ladybug landed gracefully in the dark alleyway Chat Noir had fallen into.  
Her earring giving a final beep before a pink light washed away her transformation.  
Not greeting him with anything but merely eyeing his leg with the same disgust Plagg had.

“I’m…so sorry Adrien…I…I…”

“Broke my leg.”

She nodded and crouched next to him.

“Yeah…sorry….Didn’t think I’d thrown you that hard.”

“Well I can’t help but fall for you even harder than you can throw me My Lady.”

She rolled her eyes as a smile curled up on her lips.

“If you can joke around like that, I guess it’s not as bad as it looks.”

“But it is!” He continued. “I’ll probably never be able to walk again. Run with the wind in my hair, have a perfect posture needed for modeling and oh my God my father is going to kill me.” The joking demeanor he had suddenly vanished at the thought of how his father would react. “You broke my leg. I’m so dead.”

 “Stop complaining.” Her voice was playful, but that soon changed when she noticed the concerned look on his face. “At least you only broke one leg?”

Marinette mentally slapped herself.  
That things could be worse didn’t make things better now.

His voice wasn’t as hard and angry as it should have been. “YOU BROKE MY LEG!”

“I said I was sorry!”

“Kids. Children. Kiddos.” Plagg then interrupted. “This isn’t helping anyone. Adrien needs to go see a doctor or something and really quick too!”

“You just want to get this over with so you can get your cheese don’t you?” Adrien asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes.” His Kwami replied.

“We need to call an ambulance.” Tikki suggested.

“OR!” Plagg once again interrupted. “We could just walk to the hospital.” With his tiny paw he pointed to a large building across the street.

“It’s probably quicker and the quicker my boy gets there, the quicker I get my cheese!”

“One problem.” Adrien interjected before gesturing to his leg with both hands.

“I…I could carry you?”

He eyed Marinette curiously.  
Sure. Ladybug was really strong.  
She had flung him off the roof after all.

But Marinette….

Marinette looked fragile and delicate.

“Mari it’s okay you don’t…”

“Let me carry you!” He blinked surprisingly at her sudden outburst. “It’s my fault you broke your leg.”

“I was just joking My Lady.”

The girl stubbornly shook her head and moved closer to him.  
Putting one arm under his armpit and the other just behind the knees.  
  
“Marinette it’s alright. I’m probably too heavy to carry anyway and…” Before he could continue, she had already hoisted him up from the ground.

A determined look on her face as she tightened his grip on him.

The force of gravity on his leg wasn’t kind however and Adrien found himself hissing between gritted teeth.

“I…stand corrected.” The boy admitted. “And here I was thinking I would be the one to sweep you off your feet.”

Marinette groaned slightly, yet the tone in her voice was playful.

“Careful Chatton. I could still drop you if you keep that up.”

“Could you two lovebirds quit blabbering and start moving!”

Tikki gave Plagg a soft swat on his arm in response before dragging him away into  the small bag hung on Marinette’s shoulder..

“Let me know if you need to stop and take a break.”

“I’ll be fine.” She assured him. “You’re not heavier than one of those industrial bags of flower Papa uses in the bakery.”

“Euhm….thanks?”

She started walking.

“That wasn’t a compliment. You really don’t weigh much.”

“Hollow bones.” Adrien shot back jokingly. “Why do you think I break so easily.”

With every step she took he felt a jolt of pain.  
It didn’t overshadow the feeling of pride when she finally laughed at his joke.  
So that was what he tried to focus on.  
  
Lame jokes. Trying to make her laugh.  
  
Trying to distract her from the stares people were giving them.

He wasn’t that successful in the short trip to the steps of the hospital, but gave her, and himself, enough distraction to not think too much about his current situation.  
Once at the steps however, he noticed she was out of breath.

“Need a break?”

“No.” She huffed. “I can do this.”  
  
“Mari. Take a break. Just put me on the ground and catch your breath.”

“No.”

“So stubborn.” He sighed.

“If I can fling you off the roof, I can carry you up some stairs!”

“You really don’t…” Again Adrien wasn’t able to stop her as Marinette took her first step on the stairs.

“You are so stubborn.” The boy repeated. “One of your more….attractive… irresistible…..traits I must admit.”

“Stop talking.” She muttered back.

He of course, didn’t.

“But no matter how attractive your stubbornness is Bugaboo, don’t blame me when you’re standing on the top of those stairs, too tired to move and carry me, while you could have used the wheelchair entrance instead.“

A sound of victory escaped Marinette’s lips the moment she reached the top of the stairs. Holding his body even closer to her own, a satisfied smile on her lips, sweat on her skin, breathing rapidly.  
Her brows however furrowed together as she looked at him in confusion.

“What?”

“The wheelchair entrance. You know.” He nodded with his head to the bricked slope that ran next to the stairs. Especially made for those who couldn’t use the stairs. “Would have been easier for you.”

“Now you tell me.” She sighed.

“Well if you weren’t so stubborn…”

She shot him a glare at his statement.  
In response Adrien held up one hand in defeat as the other still held on to her shoulder for support.

“Shutting up.” He muttered in defense.

“He’s right you know.” Tikki chirped from her spot in the purse.

The girl didn’t reply, but instead hastily made her way into the hospital.  
Once inside, he noticed how out of breath she was.

“Hey.” Adrien started. “Here’s an idea Marinette. Put me down right here and get some help. I’m sure there’s a nurse or two walking around here.”

She was about to protest, but noticed how she was losing the strength in her arms.  
While he didn’t feel like he weighed more than the bags of flower she usually helped her father carry, now he felt like he weighed twice as much.

“Okay.” She huffed before setting sights on a unoccupied bench in the lobby.

Carefully she put the injured boy there, making sure his leg was supported enough by the bench.

“Does it still hurt?” She carefully asked.

“Very much so.” He admitted.

She bit her lip, afraid to ask the next question.  
When she remained silent and didn’t walk away he asked her one instead.

“Hey.” Gentle fingers reached out to her own. “You okay?”

She nodded.

“I’m sorry. This happened to you because of my stupid mistake.”

“Our stupid mistake.” He corrected. “You warned me and I let you hurl me towards the guy anyway. Do you know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because I trust you Marinette and you did the right thing.”

She took a deep breath. Letting herself calm down.

“I don’t blame you.” He continued. “Even if I said I did at first. I was just…”

“Being Cha-……yourself.” She added.

He nodded with a smile before a heavy pause fell between them.

“Still weird after three months?”

“Yeah.” She felt how he softly squeezed her fingers to reassure her. “For you too?”

“Not as much as I thought it would be. You’re still amazing, with or without the spots.” Adrien admitted before letting her hand go.

“I-I should get you a nurse.”

Marinette started to walk away when Adrien called after her. “And some ice cream! And a soda! And get yourself some ice cream too!”  
She wasn’t going to get anything he was asking for.  
At least she wasn’t planning to.  
And Ladybug always stuck to her plans!  
Marinette however still felt guilt eating away at her as fast as Adrien was eating his ice cream.  


* * *

 

“You really don’t have a lot of luck today.”

Adrien gave a small shrug.

“Don’t know about that.” He muttered with his mouth full of the cold treat. “Get to have ice cream. Get to go on a first date with the love of my life. I wouldn’t call that unlucky.”

She almost spat out the soda she tried to drink.

“This is hardly a date.” She laughed.

“Good food, fine drinks and a romantic atmosphere.” He gestured to the full emergency waiting room around them. “Perfect setting for a first date.”

“Sure. Sure.” She laughed back. “We just have to ignore all the injured people and that awful hospital smell and the fact you broke your damn leg and it’s absolutely perfect.”

“You broke my leg.” He corrected before swallowing the last bit of his ice cream. “And yes. I think it is. Because I get to spend some quality time with you My Lady and that’s all that matters.”

“Stop.” She laughed. “You’re not allowed to be so…so….”

“Charming? Handsome? Irresistible?”

“The word I was looking for is dorky. Actually.”

“Oh.” His smile fell.

“You’re not supposed to make me laugh.” She elaborated when she noticed his smile fading. “You’re injured. You should be getting cheered up. Not do the cheering up.”

“But making you laugh cheers me up!” The grin returned. “Besides, it distracts me.”

“From?”

He nodded to his leg.

“And from all the scenarios that could happen when I break the news to father.” Adrien continued, frowning slightly. “He won’t be too happy I’m not able to model for the next couple of weeks.”

“You won’t be able to help me either.”  
  
Silence once again fell between the two.

“Will you be okay on your own?”

“Maybe.” Marinette turned towards him. “Cheer me on from the sidelines?”

He gave her a nod and a smile. “Always.”

She was about to say something to him when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.  
Pulling it out, she heard Adrien mumble something about needing to text Nathalie soon.  
  
Marinette frowned a bit when she noticed who was trying to call her. “It’s Alya.”

Reluctantly she denied the call before opening up the chat application on her phone.

**[ Can’t pick up now. ]**

Alya was quick to respond.

**[ Y not? ]**

“What do I tell her?” Marinette asked the boy as she let him show the starting conversation.

“The truth?” He offered before taking a quick sip out of her soda can.

 **[ On a “romantic date” with Adrien. ]** The girl both typed and muttered under her breath.

“I thought you said this wasn’t a date.”

Her reply was short. “It’s not.”

**[ GIRL! Get out! No way! Proof or it didn’t happen! ]**

“She wants proof.”

Both exchanged a thoughtful look with each other.

“I guess one selfie can’t hurt.” He shrugged before motioning for her to come closer to him.

The wheelchair he was sitting in made it a little difficult to scoot really close to him, but it was close enough to snap a quick photo of the two.  
Both with a forced smile on their lips.

As she looked at the result, she couldn’t help but sigh.

“What?” Adrien asked.  
  
“Why is it that even with your eyes closed, on a selfie, you look like you’re modelling.”

“I’m afraid being fabulous is something you’re born with Mari. You of all people should know.”

Marinette snorted slightly as she messaged Alya the photo.

“How so?”

“I thought you knew?” His voice was filled with surprise and a hint of mischief. “You always look amazing no matter what you’re wearing. Thus, you are born fabulous. Like me.”

Another snort, that quickly transitioned into a light giggle.

“I’m guessing this is the part where you tell me that it’s another sign that we’re made for each other?”

“Your words. Not mine. But yes.”

“If we would have had this conversation a couple of months ago, I would have probably turned into a puddle of goo.” She laughed.

Adrien sighed dramatically. “Guess I’m losing my magic touch.”

“Nah. I’m just becoming immune to it.”

She turned her attention back to her phone, where Alya was slowly freaking out over the photo she had send.  
Giving encouragement to her, hoping to have her ‘date’ end well for her.

“But it still feels weird for you?”

She frowned slightly, not turning to meet his gaze but staying fixated on her phone instead.  
Marinette then lifted the device up before answering.

“We’ve already had this conversation.” She muttered softly before snapping a photo of the small crowd and the front desk of the emergency waiting room.

“Briefly. I know. I just….” He was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm.

“This is not the place to talk about this Adrien.”

“But we should. Soon.” He noticed her biting her lip in response. “I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable. So if all the flirting….does…..“

“It doesn’t.” Marinette interjected. “It actually helps in some strange way.”

He shot her a confused look and raised a eyebrow.  
  
“Make things less…weird….”

“Oh.”

An awkward pause fell between the two.  
Marinette decided to turn her attention back to her conversation with Alya, as Adrien finished the remainder of her cherry soda with small sips.

“I’m going to go for a little air.” She suddenly announced.

“Want me to come with you?”

Her brow raised at his offer as she then pointed with two hands at his propped up leg.  
The blonde groaned in annoyance as he almost forgot his predicament.

“I’ll be back in ten minutes. Try and text your father or Nathalie while I’m gone.”

“I’ll try, but no promises.”  


Those ten minutes seemed to last an eternity for him.  
All the while he tried his best to send a message to Nathalie.  
Deleting whole pieces of his story before trying to type it again.

Eventually Adrien had rewritten the explanation about his whereabouts four times by the time Marinette came back.

She shoved another can of soda in his hands before sitting down.

“Fed your kitty too.” the girl announced before plopping down in her seat again. “Nobody called you into a room yet?”

“Not yet. But it might take a while seeing how busy it is.”

She nodded. “How is your father taking the news?”

“I wouldn’t know since I’m trying to tell Nathalie first.” He pressed the button for send on his phone.

“If you want to go home I understand. You must have something better to do than to keep me company.”

“I have. But it’s rude to ditch your date.” She replied with a smirk.

He shot her an equal smirk in response.

“So this IS a date then!”  
  
“Nope. Still isn’t Chaton. But seeing how I broke your leg, I can’t go breaking your fantasy bubble too.”

“Mean!” The boy replied but laughed at her remark anyway.

“Just being honest.” The dark haired girl joked back.

“Adrien Agreste?!”

The voice of the doctor boomed through the whispers and mumbles filling the waiting room.

Clumsily he tried to maneuver the wheelchair he was in, only for Marinette to quickly step in and push him to the doctor instead.  
He muttered a quick ‘thanks’ over his shoulder before shaking the hand of the tall doctor.

“Hello Adrien.” He greeted. “According to my chart you fell down?”

“Yes Sir.”

Marinette was quick to jump in before the boy could make up an explanation.

“That’s my fault. I tripped and pulled him down the stairs by accident.” The girl made vague hand gestures trying to explain the situation. “It happened so fast.”

The man simply nodded and scribbled something down on the chart in his hands.

“We’re going to need to take an x-ray.” He started. “I hope you’re not too attached to those designer jeans.”

“They need to be cut don’t they?”

“Afraid so. We´ll try to keep your shoe in one piece but your sock will probably have to go too.”

“I shall give them a proper burial.”

The doctor responded with a lighthearted laugh.

“Can you give him something for that too? I’ve been listening to this all afternoon and he’s getting worse.” She shook her head dramatically. “And to think I once considered your puns to be the worse thing.”

“Ah you love it Mari. Just admit it.” Adrien joked with an added wink.

She groaned in response. “Ugh. I do. I hate to admit it but I do.”

The doctor smiled as he observed the two teens interact with each other. “Well it’s a good thing you two seem to get along just fine despite the accident.” He motioned them to follow him when Adrien’s phone buzzed lightly.  
  
“That must be Nathalie.” He took a quick glance at his phone before letting Marinette know what his father’s assistant had send. “Father isn’t happy about it, but nobody can leave work to check up on me. He’ll try to make it home as quick as he can.”

“Want me to respond?”

“Please and thank you. I’ll be too busy mourning my jeans in a moment.”

The girl let out another small snort in response.  
To Adrien, that was another small victory for him.

He passed her the phone, as well as his unopened drink, before the doctor moved him into the x-ray room.  
A nurse quickly asked Marinette to wait outside, telling her it was for her own safety.  
X-ray radiation and all.

Though Marinette would have gladly accepted the risk of glowing in the dark, if Adrien needed her to be by his side, she thought it best to comply and gave a small nod to her before the door or the room closed completely.  
  


“Are you doing okay Marinette?” A small whisper from her purse asked her.

“I’m okay Tikki.” The girl sighed. “I just….don’t know how I’m going to do….you know…without his help the next few weeks.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine Marinette!” Tikki encouraged her. “It might take a bit longer to purify the Akuma, but you’re an experienced Ladybug now.”

She smiled at the kind words of the Kwami.

“Besides.” Plagg’s drowsy voice continued. “It wouldn’t hurt for Adrien to take a little break either.”

“You’re only saying that because that means you get to lazy around too!” Tikki harshly whispered to him.

“Yeah. True.”

“No. It is good for him to take a break. Even if it is because of an injury.” Marinette agreed. “I know he’s been doing a lot more photo shoots these last few weeks.”

“He has. Something about the Summer collection being late? The kid hasn’t missed a single shoot so far to help out his old man.”

Though she couldn’t see it, she could almost feel Tikki frown with worry.  
And the girl couldn’t blame the pocket sized god.

She had done the same every moment Chat Noir had apologized for being late for patrol because of an extra hour of modeling he needed to do.

And for every moment she caught him bouncing his leg up and down during class or making more attempts at jokes when he wasn’t his superhero alter ego.  
A habit he had for when he was stressed, she had noticed the more she had started to observe his mannerism.

Something she could only counter with joking attempts of her own.  
It had taken her three nights of prying and a long hug before he finally told her what was bothering him.  
  


Marinette was about to say something to both Kwami’s when the door to the room opened again.  
With a frown she eyed the swollen and bruised leg of her partner, now clearly exposed to the cut open fabric of his jeans.  
The remains of his sock and his undamaged shoe, resting on his lap.

“I think I can still sew that back together.”

He dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.

“Don’t bother Mari. Father has truckloads of these things.” He quickly continued when he noticed the frown on her face was only deepening. “But if you want to use the fabric for something, I’ll gladly donate you this pair.”

“I thought you were going to give them a proper burial.” The doctor commented before walking out of the room himself.

“Oh, I would. But Marinette here is a wizard when it comes to designing and sewing. So if she has use for them then it would be a waste to throw them out.” Adrien quickly explained.

She felt her cheeks slightly glow after hearing his complement.  
Though it wasn’t something she hadn’t heard him say before, it still flattered her to no end.

“I-I think I could make use- I mean! Use them to make something!”

He gave her a small nod before the nurse started rolling the wheelchair further down the hall.  
The doctor leading the way, muttering medical jargon to the nurse while looking back at her every once in awhile.  
Half of which they both teens couldn’t understand, but the nurse seemed to understand it all just perfectly judging from their conversation.

Eventually they walked into a room at the near end of the hallway.  
The room itself was filled with hospital beds, separated by curtains.  
The doctor motioned for Adrien to take place on one of the beds.

Not an easy task he figured.  
Especially since gravity still wasn’t too kind on his leg.  
Throwing his shoe on the ground, he then braced his arms on the rests of the chair.

The moment he tried to lift himself from the chair again, like he had done in the x-ray room, a pair of familiar arms had already lifted him up.

“You’re full of surprises aren’t you?” He smirked as Marinette cradled the boy in both arms again.

“I could still drop you.” Was her reply.

“As long as it’s on the bed that’s just fine.” He hissed through sharp stings of pain.

“How bad is it?” The nurse suddenly asked him as she noticed the expression on his face.

“Still a seven.”

The nurse exchanged a quick look with the doctor who nodded before sitting down on a small chair next to the bed.

“500 milligrams is enough Susan.”

With another nod, the nurse walked out of the room.

“So. Adrien.” The doctor began again. “I’ve looked at the x-ray we took and your leg is indeed broken.”

“And the bad news?” The blonde boy joked.

“I want to say that there isn’t any bad news, and it might not actually be bad, BUT, the fractures are all clean except for one.” The doctor pointed at strange twist in Adrien’s leg. “The good side of that is that it hasn’t broken through your skin, so you don’t need surgery. The bad news being, I have to pop it back in place so that it can heal properly and that’s going to hurt. A lot.”

Marinette could only imagine how much that would hurt as she eyed the injured leg with worry again.  
The fact that there were was more than one fracture was alarming enough for her.

“We’re going to give you some pain medication for now since I have a couple more patients to attend to. But I’ll be back in a while and we can get some cast on that leg of yours and then you’ll be good to go.”

Adrien and Marinette both gave the man an understanding nod.

“Are there any more questions?”

“Not at the moment.” Adrien sighed as he leaned back against the pillow of the hospital bed.

The doctor walked away with a nod, leaving the two alone again.

“Well….” She started. “It could have been worse?”  
  
“True.” He muttered.

A moment of silence fell before he spoke again.

“Do you still have my soda?”

“What? Oh! Yeah I do.” Hastily she grabbed the can from the ground, where she had put it before deciding to lift him on the bed.

Carefully she opened the can before giving it to him.

“Did Nathalie text back already?”

“Oh…euhm….I was wrapped up in a conversation with Tikki and Plagg earlier…ssssooooo I forgot to text her back?”

With an amused smile he reached out to her, wanted to get his phone back.

“No! No, I told you I would message her back and you’ll be in too much pain soon to carry a conversation anyway.” Determined she pulled out his phone and began texting the assistant of Adrien’s father.

It didn’t take long before the phone buzzed to notify that there was a reply.  
Hastily Marinette typed back, all the while Adrien studied the change in expression on her face.

“Okay.” She then said before giving Adrien back his phone at long last. “Your father can’t be home until nine tonight.”

The blonde just shrugged and didn’t look surprised by that news.

“Something about needing to stay on top of the Summer collection deadline.”

“The one I’ve been doing shoots for almost daily the last month and a half.”

The dark haired girl only hummed in confirmation.

“But Nathalie rather doesn’t want you to be alone, so I told her I’m going to stay with you until your father comes home. Your driver will pick us up when we’re done here.”

“Mari that’s awfully sweet of you, but you should go home when we’re done here. Eat dinner with your parents.”

Her face lit up as if she suddenly remembered something.  
Pulling out her own phone again, she began typing a message.

“It’s fine. Besides…it’ll give us a chance to….talk about….you know.”

“Really?”  
  
The girl glanced at him and gave a nod.

“You’re right. We should talk about it more thoroughly. To give some closure to the situation and…well….make things feel a bit less weird?”

It wasn’t much later that the nurse walked back in with a cup filled with water and two pills.

“How’s the pain?”

“Being completely motionless like this, it’s about a five. But moving, turns it up to seven again.”

She handed him the pills and the cup of water, but Adrien denied the latter and held up his half filled can of soda.

“You should probably have those with water.”

“I can handle an upset stomach next to a broken leg Princess. But no way I’m letting the sweet nectar of the gods go to waste.”

Marinette just shook her head with a smile and a sigh.

“You two make a sweet couple.” The nurse suddenly commented.

Marinette’s eyes widened at her words.

“W-we’re not….” She muttered.

Flustered the nurse quickly apologized. “Oh! I’m sorry I thought you two were, with the nickname and all.”

“T-That’s just him being a dork I’m afraid.”

“Not denying that.” Adrien added with a smirk. “But this is our first date.”

Marinette turned her attention back to her phone before mumbling her reply. “Still not a date.”

“Sorry again for assuming.” The nurse apologized again. “It should take about half an hour before the painkillers set in. If you need anything just press the red button behind you.”

He turned around to search for the button she mentioned and found it almost at first glance.  
With a broad smile he turned back to the nurse.

“Will do. Thanks.”

“Maman and papa said you could join us for dinner tonight if you want to?”

“Tempting, but in the unlikely event that father comes home earlier than planned and finds out I’m missing he’ll probably freak out again and I’m not risking that.”  
  
“Like last Christmas?”

“Like last Christmas.”

“We could…get a sandwich in the hospital café before we leave?” She suggested. “Plagg was rather fond of their baguette with brie. Well mostly the brie.”

“You got him to eat brie?”

She blinked a couple times at his surprised reaction.

“Yes? You said he eats cheese and he was okay with it. Besides, it was the best they had.”

“He always wants Camembert.”

“So you’ve told me.”

“Stinky. Gooey. Camembert.”

“I know.”

Adrien turned his head towards her.

“He wasn’t picky with you?”

“No.” Marinette tilted her head to one side. “Is he usually?”

“The worst.” The boy groaned, earning a small ‘Hey!’ from the Kwami in question.

“Guess I am just good with cats.” She laughed with an added wink.

He laughed with her. “I can vouch for that My Lady. So it must be true.”

“That still doesn’t solve our issue for dinner.”

“Maybe my personal chef would still be at home when we get there? He could make us something.”

“You have a personal chef?”

She mentally slapped herself for asking that question.  
Of course he would have a personal chef!  
He was  still Adrien Agreste!  
A fact she seemed to forget more and more the past few weeks.

“Father is a little strict about my diet. So my chef cooks my meals for me.” He explained. “Why do you think I didn’t want to waste my soda?”

She crossed her arms over each other.

“Because I bought it for you?”

“Well. Yeah. That too. But mostly because I’m not allowed to have more than one each week.”

“Oh.” The girl mouthed giving him a concerned look.  
  
“Don’t look like that. It’s not as bad as it sounds.” Adrien laughed. “I get three full meals a day and all and I’m never hungry. It’s just to make sure I don’t get too much carbs and stuff.”

Marinette’s phone buzzed again before she could say anything.

“If he’s not there, we could always order takeout though?”

She nodded in reply before looking at her phone.

“Alya wants to know how our ‘date’ is going.”

 **[ We’re discussing on what to do for dinner. ]** Marinette typed back.

“I think it’s going pretty smooth so far?” He sounded unsure. “As long as the doctor isn’t back yet. Not looking to forward for when he does.”

 **[ You guys should check out that little Italian place that opened up three blocks away from school. They have the best spaghetti! ]** Her best friend suggested.

 **[ And Adrien isn’t looking forward to when the doctor is going to be back. ]** Marinette added.

**[ I still need the deets on how you managed to end up in the hospital.]**

**[ Later Alya. ]** The girl replied to her friend.

 **[ And thanks for the tip. I’ll consider it when I get the guts to ask him out on an actual date. Ha Ha! ]** Marinette replied.

“She’s suggesting that Italian place that opened up a couple of months back?”

“Oh! That place! They serve great cappuccino’s.”

“You’ve been there?”

The boy nodded. “With Nino a few weeks ago. We needed a energy boost for our last minute study session.”

Again Marinette’s phone buzzed.

“Speaking of your best friend.” She sighed as she noticed who had send her the text. “You handle him. I’m too tired to explain everything again to a fourth person.”

Gently he took her phone from her. “With purrrleasure My Lady.”

“You did not just pun on me.”

“I’m in a position where it’s not okay for you to hit me, so you bet I’m punning.”

**[Mari WTH! UR in teh hospital with Adrien?????]**

**[Whut did u do?]  
  
**

Adrien softly squinted at the quickly jolted down text message.A sign that his friend was either stressed or in a hurry or possibly multitasking something he shouldn’t be multitasking.  
If he had to bet it would be the latter, as a drinking-eating dinner-mixing a song-doing homework-and texting-combo.

**[I’m guessing Alya told you?]**

**[This is Adrien btw.]  
  
**

**[Ofc she told me!]**

**[Dude! WTH happned?]**  
  


**[Crazy accident. Mari broke my leg.]** Adrien quickly explained.

“He seems worried.” He muttered to Marinette, who had opted to rest her head against the wall next to the bed.

“Of course he is. He’s Nino.” She sighed. “You’re his BBF. Of course he would be worried.”

“BBF?”

“Best Bro Forever.”

He snorted. “That’s not a thing.”

“Yes it is.”

“No it’s not.” He shot back with a smile before his face showed uncertainty right after. “I swear Mari if you’re pulling my leg here.”

His fingers frantically pressed on the small screen.

“You mean the one that I didn’t break.”

“Oh, Ha Ha.”  
  


**[Dude! Thats horrible! U k? ]**

 

**[Okay as I can get.]**

**[ At least I’m in good company whom got me ice cream. :3 ]**

**[ Is BBF a thing btw?]**

   
Adrien figured if anyone would know then it would be Nino.  
  


**[ Lucky! ]**

**[ Means I dont hav 2 rush over to kick Maris ass. ]**

“Nino says you’re off the hook because you’ve bought me ice cream.” The blonde half laughed. “He’s not coming over here to kick your ass.”

Marinette raised a finger. “First of all. It was an accident. And second of all I can kick my own ass just fine thank you very much.”

It was at that moment he couldn’t hold back.

The snickers and giggles he had already shared through the afternoon, had now erupted into a fit of laughter.  
He heard her join him not that long after he started laughing.

It took a good few minutes before they calmed down enough.  
Earning harsh whispers from the other patients in the room.

**[ Bro. I’m prtty sure BBF is more a sibling thing btw. ]**

**[ But I’m all fer using it since we’re such good buds and all. ]**

Still half giggling Adrien replied.

**[ Best buds! ]**

**[ I guess BBF can also stand for Best Buds Forever? ]  
  
**

**[ Dude! Havent thought of tht. Genius!]** Nino typed back.  
  


**[ Marinette says she doesn’t need help kicking her own butt. ]**

He expected some kind of witty comeback from his best friend.  
Something about him expecting just that because Marinette was known to be quite clumsy.  
He never expected his current BBF to question him about his crush.  
  


**[ When r u going 2 ask her on a date anyway? ]**

**[ You’ve been flirting with her for weeks now. ]  
  
**

It was something he didn’t want to answer at the moment.

Especially because he had asked her before and made things uncomfortable between them for a couple of days.

It was too soon then, so it would be too soon now.  
  


**[ Oh hey. The doctor is here again. Time for pain. gttg later Nino. ]  
  
**

He offered the phone back to his partner. “Don’t answer him if he replies please.”

“What did you tell him?”

“Nothing.” He told her without doubt. “I think he’s been talking to Alya again and trying to set us up.”

She briefly scrolled through the conversation before typing away at the screen regardless of his request.  
  


**[ He’s actually counting this as a date Nino.- Mari ]**

**[ Also it’s not flirting, it’s just how we communicate. :p - Mari ]  
  
**

After a few seconds his reply came.  
  


**[ U 2 seriously need to work on ur comm skills. lol. XD ]**

**[ Take good care of my buddy Mari. C u at skool. ]  
  
**

“Crisis averted.” She proudly stated before pocketing her phone. “So. How are you feeling now?”

“Tired. But less in pain.”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to last long.” The voice of the doctor suddenly stated before he came into view. “At least for a few moments. Are you ready?”

Two more nurses joined the doctor’s side.

One armed with a moist looking roll of cast material and the other with a pair of scissors and a softer looking material.

“Has anyone ever said ‘yes’ in this situation?” Adrien answered back.

“Not many but a few have.”

“Then I’m going to join the majority that have said ‘no’.”

“At least you still have your sense of humor.” One of the nurses noticed. “That’s a good sign. But try to relax anyway.”

As the doctor gently started to feel for the best place to shove the piece of bone back in place, Adrien noticed he was doing anything but relaxing.

“Do try to relax.” The other nurse, Susan he remembered her name being, told him again.

When he still didn’t seem to relax his muscles, Marinette decided to take action.Gently wrapping a arm around his head while standing up, she pressed him against her collarbone.  
Pulling him into the best hug she could give him considering their position.

On instinct, his arm curled around her shoulders and he felt himself calm down as she stroked his hair gently.  
Marinette gave a small nod towards the doctor, who nodded back in response.

“Keep breathing Chaton. Focus on my voice.” The sound of a sickening crack filled the room and Adrien tensed up in pain.

Hissing and groaning loudly between his teeth as he held the girl as tight as he could.  
The tight hold he had on her was as quickly gone as it had started.

“We have to go again.” The doctor suddenly said.

“What?” Adrien asked in a half daze. A tear rolling down his cheek.

“I have to press the bone down a little more.”

The blonde sighed.  
She could tell he was tired.

“You’re doing great Adrien. Just a little more.” Again she pulled him into the hug.

“Okay.” He inhaled deeply and braced himself. “Go for it.”

Another cracking sound. This time a lot softer.  
Still Marinette could almost feel the pain he was in.  
She could practically see his toes curl up on his other foot.  
A wave of guilt once again overtook her.

“I’m sorry.” She muttered against the strands of his hair. “I’m so sorry.”

“Accident. Not your. Fault.” He managed to whisper back between gasps of air.

He felt the pressure the doctor had put on his leg vanish and the two nurses moved in to apply the cast around his leg.  
All the while he didn’t dare let go of Marinette and he noticed she made no attempt of letting go of her either.  
There was a ringing sound in his ear. Almost like static coming from his own head. Making the voices around him sound muffled.  
Though he could hear her voice the clearest.  
  
“I think it’s done. You did good Chaton.” A soft kiss was placed on the top of his head.

“It IS done.” The nameless nurse confirmed. “How do you feel Adrien?”

He opened his mouth to answer but closed it again.  
Not sure how to describe how he was feeling as his partner let go of him and gently guided his body back in the sitting position on the hospital bed.

“Dizzy? Maybe a bit nauseous?” He answered once he noticed the ringing in his ears subside.

“That’s what you get for taking pain medication with soda.” Marinette scolded playfully.

He returned her playful scolding with a small grin.“I wish I could tell you how wrong you are on that. But you’re probably right.”  
  


* * *

He breathed in and out.

In and out again.  
Trying to wait until the dizzy feeling was gone.

All the while the nurse explained some things to him.  
But Adrien was sure he was only catching half of it.

Keep the cast dry.  
Something about crutches.  
Instructions about the use of painkillers?

Despite not really listening to the nurse, he nodded every so often while she explained things to her.  
When she was done Adrien only wanted to know one thing.

“Can? Can I stay here for a moment until I feel less dizzy?”

“Of course. Feel free to leave when you feel a bit better again.” She turned her attention towards Marinette. “I’ll go get the crutches for him.”

The dark haired girl nodded in response before standing up and pushing the wheelchair out of place.  
The nurse thankfully took the vehicle from her and took it with her when she exited the room.

“Hey.” Marinette’s soft voice called out to him. “You did good Adrien. I can’t imagine that it was easy for you.”

A bit dazed he turned his head towards her. “Hmmm?”

“The doctor setting the bone.”

She noticed him frown before answering.  
  
“Having you next to me made it a bit easier.” Warm fingers brushed against her’s. “It always does.”

“You sap.” The girl shot back jokingly.

Though she could not hide the faint blush appearing on her cheeks again.

A large grin once again appeared on his face. “You say like that’s a bad thing Bugaboo.”

The girl pouted slightly at hearing the nickname she despised the most. Though she could not find herself angry at him for using it. “I-It’s not.”

Her blush deepened slightly. “It’s just sappy.”

His grin fell back into a broad smile. “Sappy enough to make you blush.” Adrien teased back. “I think I found your weakness.”

The dark haired giggled awkwardly.

“I’m not blushing!” She tried to defend herself. “It’s just…really hot in here.”

“That’s what happens when you’re in the presence of a hot person.” He ran his hand through his golden locks, the broad smile never leaving his face and the joking tone never leaving his voice.

“Oh my gosh! You did not just call yourself hot.” She laughed.

“I did.” The boy admitted “Because we both know I am.”

Again she laughed. “I know you’re more of a hot mess than anything else.”

There it was again.  
That broad grin.  
That satisfying look on his face whenever she did laugh at his jokes.  
Whenever she joked with him.  
Something, she noticed, he had been showing more and more the past couple of weeks.  
Mostly whenever she fell back into that mumbling state that she couldn’t seem to get rid off completely.

Or…

Maybe it had been there all along and she just now noticed it.

  
“And who is to blame for that huh?” He taunted.  
  
“Who?” Marinette asked, only to feel immediate regret after speaking that one word.  
  
“You of course. I’m only a hot mess because of your stunning looks and gorgeous personality.”  
  
The grin never left his face, yet there was a hint of sincerity in the way he spoke.  
She felt her face heat up, a indescribable sound escaped her lips as the girl tried to bury her shame in the cup of her hands.  
  
“Too much?” The blonde asked amused.  
  
All she could do was nod in response, not being able to utter a single words.  
  
“I didn’t think telling the truth would really be your weak spot.”  
  
“Sttttooooooppppp!”  
  
“Being a dork?” He chuckled. “I can’t stop that Purrincess.”  
  
In one swift motion, she pressed her hand firmly against his cheek.  
Trying to, gently, push him away further from her.  
Adrien merely chuckled as her skin made contact with his face.  
  
“Stop.” Marinette told him again, face still flushed, a pout on her lips. “Y-Your Chat is showing!”  
  
“Alright. Alright.” He took hold of her hand and gently pecked her palm. “If that is what you wish I’ll stop.”  
  
It took a few moments for her to recompose herself.  
Letting the boy plant his soft kisses against her warm hand.  
  
“I take it that with all that smooth talking you’re feeling better.”  
  
He paused from kissing her hand, letting them rest in his, as he thought about how he was feeling.  
  
“I think so.”  
  
“Good. Because don’t you think you’re getting away with what you just did.”  
  
Once again, Marinette pulled out her phone.  
No, that wasn’t her phone, he noticed.  
That was his own!  
At what point did she snatch it back, he wondered.  
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“Messaging Nathalie.”  
  
“Why?”  
  
The dark haired girl didn’t reply as she let her fingers press the buttons on the screen.  
  
“Marinette?”  
  
Still no reply.  
  
“I’m sorry Bugaboo!” What was she even telling his father’s assistant?  
Should he be worried?  
  
“You’re right. I took it too far and shouldn’t have pressed on when you were flustered already. I just thought that, since you said that flirting would make things less awkward that….well…” He stopped his apology when he noticed no response from her.  
  
She didn’t look up from his phone nor reply, but he could see a sly smirk forming on her face.  
The boy swallowed hard before he continued.  
  
“My Lady?....Marinette?....Princess? What are you typing?”  
  
“My payback, to you, for making me so flustered.”  
  
“You’re still a little flustered to be honest.”  
  
“Sush. Don’t tell me what I already know.”  
  
Her smirk grew wider before she finally handed him his phone back.  
  
“What did you say?!” Frantically he scrolled through her conversation with Nathalie.  
  
“Something that makes sure our daily intake of carbs will be waaaaay over the limit today. But mostly yours.”  
  
“No way.”  
  
“Yes way.”  
  
“He actually agreed to this?”  
  
“According to Nathalie he’s okay with it as long as we order him one too. I guess that solves our dinner dilemma.”  
  
“I love you.” He sighed happily. “I love you so much.”  
  
Her smile fell at hearing his words. “Adrien, it’s just pizza. You’re overreacting.”  
  
“It’s just...been so long since I had pizza.” He sighed again, the widespread smile never leaving his face.  
  
Marinette arched an eyebrow at those words.  
  
“You had some when you came over for movie night as Chat last week.”  
  
“A week away from such a delight is too long.”  
  
“You sound like Plagg you know that.” Marinette laughed.  
  
“I may have picked up some of the ways he….describes certain things.”  
  
“Those things being exclusive to cheese I assume.”  
  
“Of course. But I wasn’t talking about cheese.”  
  
The girl let out a snort. “No you were talking about pizza.”  
  
“No. I was talking about having pizza with you actually.”  
  
The redness in her cheeks came back tenfold.  
And though he felt slightly bad for making her blush again, Adrien couldn’t help but snicker before throwing up an apology.  
  
“I’m sorry Marinette but I couldn’t resist.”  
  
“Adrien Agreste you are horrible!”  
  
“Oh dear that doesn’t sound good.” A voice gently commented.  
  
The two teens looked up to see one of the nurses approach them. Two crutches in hand.  
  
“I-It’s fine. We were just joking around.” The dark haired girl quickly explained.  
  
Adrien nodded in confirmation.  
  
“Ah I see.” The nameless nurse smiled. “Well if you’re feeling well enough, you’re free to leave the hospital. Do you know how these work?”  
  
The boy raised a brow at her question.“Can’t be too hard right?”  
  
“It is pretty self explanatory, but if you’re having trouble before you leave, just press the emergency button alright?”  
  
The nurse set the crutches down next to the bed before giving the two a small wave and leaving the room.  
  
“I think that’s all we’ve been doing this afternoon.” Marinette spoke in a hushed tone.  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“Joking around.” She elaborated without making eye contact. “That’s all we’ve been doing this afternoon.”  
  
He didn’t answer immediately as he felt a little bit hurt by her words.  
Sure he had turned the dial up to twenty today, but every flirty comment he had thrown her way was well meant.  
Why couldn’t she see that?  
“It’s nice.”  
  
“Is it really though?” He swallowed hard. “I’m not...making you uncomfortable with all this….”  
  
For the first time that day, Adrien was at a loss for words.  
She stood up from her seat and shook her head.  
A faint giggle escaping her lips before she spoke. “Teasing a la Chat Noir.”  
  
“Yeah. That.”  
  
“Didn’t we already have this conversation today? I’m pretty sure we did.” With firm hands, the dark haired girl grabbed the two crutches.  
  
“We did.”  
  
“Then you already know the answer to that.”  
  
Adrien nodded unsurely before swinging his uncasted leg over the edge of the hospital bed, followed suit by the one wrapped in cast. Supporting it with both hands before gravity let his limb make contact with the floor too fast.  
  
“I just wanted to be sure.” He started, giving Marinette a sideway glance from his position. “I’d hate to lose you as part of my life because I’m acting like an insensitive jerk.”  
  
His words made her heart flutter for a moment.  
It was almost enough to bring back that red hue on her cheeks that had been there mere moments before.  
  
“Adrien.” Her voice was a soft whisper. “Even if you were acting like an insensitive jerk, I would tell you straight away. You know that.”  
  
“And punch me in the arm.”  
  
With a small grunt, he stood up from the bed. Balancing on his one good leg.  
  
“Most likely.” She laughed, handing him the crutches. “But unless there’s a really good reason, there’s no way I would stay mad at you or push you away for something like that and I doubt Nino or Alya would either.”  
  
Adrien grabbed the crutches from her, slipping his arms between the two plastic rings.  
A sigh of relief escaped him and Marinette notice his shoulders relaxing.  
Like a great deal of tension was released.  
  
“Thank you. I needed to hear that.”  
  
All she did was give a broad smile in return and a gentle pat on his arm.  
“Ready to go?”  
  
“If you’re not feeling too dizzy again.”  
  
“Nah, I’m good for now. I can make it to the front door and if I can’t….well I guess you’ll just have to carry me again.”  
  
She rolled her eyes and shook her head not even turning to look at him.  
Knowing very well that there was a large smirk on his face.  
Her eyes then fell on the discarded shoe and soda can still laying on the floor.  
It would be rude just to leave those there.  
  
“Your bodyguard is strong isn’t he? I’ll just ask him to carry you then.”  
  
With a few steps she was back at the spot she had occupied when the doctor and nurses took care of Adrien’s leg.  
  
“Awwww. But you were so good at it!”  
  
He heard the girl snicker lightly before she bend down in one elegant and fluid motion.  
It was so….Ladybug like.  
To be honest, since he found out the two girls were one and the same, every move she made, step she took and the way she spoke, both in and out of costume, just made sense now.  
It was fascinating to see how much of Ladybug was in Marinette and how much of Marinette was found back in the spotted hero.  
  
“What do you want to do with this?” She held up the sneaker for him to see.  
  
He shrugged as best as he could. “Throw it out? Unless you have use for it.”  
  
She scrunched up her nose looking at the old shoe.  
  
“I already have plans for those jeans of yours. That’s enough for now.”  
  
“Guess we’ll have to give something a proper burial after all.”  
  
“Oh we do. Darn. Now we have to get flowers too.” Marinette smiled.  
  
He snorted loudly, only for the sound to quickly transition into laughter.  
She laughed just as loudly with him.  
Earning annoyed looks and some scolding mutters from the other patients in the room.

 

* * *

  
  
  
The ride to the Agreste Mansion was a quiet one.  
Adrien had taken the opportunity to let his fatigue get to him the moment the vehicle started moving.  
He only meant to close his eyes for a few seconds while Marinette was busy contacting Nathalie with his phone once again and ordering their dinner afterwards.  
  
It wasn’t until she shook him awake, and he noticed that they had stopped moving, that he realized he had fallen asleep.  
  
“Sorry.” The boy muttered sleepily.  
  
“Don’t be. I get it, It’s been a long day.”  
  
The only reply she got was a slight nod and a stifled yawn.  
  
“Come on ‘sleeping beauty’, let’s head inside. We have things to discuss and-” Her words were abruptly cut off by the car door being opened.  
  
A large man in a grey suit with a face that didn’t seem to have smiled in decades, stared at the girl.  
  
“School things! We have to discuss school things! Isn’t that right Adrien?”  
  
Marinette gently nudged the boy with her elbow, hoping to get some backup from him.  
  
The boy shot his bodyguard a reassuring smile through the sleepy daze he currently was in. “Yep. School things. Projects and stuff. Just two classmates. Working on school stuff.”  
  
‘The Gorilla’ as Adrien had nicknamed the large man since he was assigned as his bodyguard, grunted in acknowledgement before walking to the other side of the car and opening the passenger door from that side.  
Helping the boy out as much as he could until the point came where Adrien found himself leaning on the crutches once again.  
  
“I ordered just one pizza for the both of us by the way.” Marinette’s voice called out from the other side of the car before she slammed the door shut.  
  
He nodded. “Good thinking Mari. I don’t think I’m able to eat a whole one anyway.”  
  
“I figured. Never seen you eat more than half.”  
  
“You good with just half?”  
  
“I’ll just stuff my face with a late night snack when I get home again. I’m sure maman and papa have some leftovers from the bakery I can have.”  
  
“I changed my mind. I want to eat dinner at your place with your parents.”  
  
“Chaton, you know it’s too late to turn back.” She laughed.  
  
Adrien gave his classmate a hopeful look. “Next time then?”  
  
“If you don’t mind being endlessly teased and questioned and smothered in kindness.” She summed up as she walked passed him. Making her way to the front door.  
  
“That sounds like heaven.”  
  
“Alright. I’ll talk to my parents and we can discuss when you’re able to come over.”  
  
For a moment he didn’t know what to say.  
  
“For real?”  
  
Marinette bit her lip as she carefully nodded.  
She wanted to say she was joking, but a big part of her wanted to get closer to him than they already were.  
Closer than they had ever been as Chat Noir and Ladybug.  
And getting passed that awkward stage they were in at the moment, had been on the top of her priority list lately.  
  
At some point that had to include inviting him over for dinner with her family as well.  
That’s what good friends did right?  
She had been to Alya’s plenty of times for dinner and even to Nino’s when he had invited all four of them.  
  
“I would be honored Princess.” Another grunt from ‘The Gorilla’ was heard. “Which is a nickname! Because we’re close friends and we give each other nicknames all the time. Ha ha.” Adrien quickly sputtered. “Let’s go inside.”  
  
The girl next to him giggled once again not moving until Adrien gave her a gentle nudge on the back of her legs with one of his crutches.  
  
When she stepped inside, Marinette couldn’t help but be in awe.  
The ceiling of the entrance hallway was far higher than any she had ever seen.  
It felt as if the place was made ten times bigger because of it.  
  
Yet, no matter how she marveled at the marble floor and the grand staircase, the house felt empty.  
Quiet.  
Cold.  
  
Nothing like any of the houses she had visited before.  
  
She wondered why she hadn’t noticed it right away when she was here last as Ladybug.  
Then again…  
  
Dealing with Akuma’s didn’t leave a lot of time to notice the finer details of certain things.  
  
“I would give you a tour of the house but….”  
  
He didn’t need to finish his sentence.  
  
“That’s okay Adrien. Maybe another time? If...your father doesn’t banish me like he did with Nino.”  
  
Adrien frowned. “Don’t remind me.”  
  
“Sorry.”  
  
He waved off her apology.  
He could understand her fear.  
His father was quite intimidating in some ways.  
  
“I doubt he’ll do the same with you. I mean...it’s not every day anyone is able to convince my father to let me have pizza. So you’re probably on his good side already.”  
  
“It was a team effort?” Marinette explained. “I actually convinced Nathalie to convince your father.”  
  
“Have I ever told you that you’re amazing? Because you are!”  
  
“I can recall you doing so on several occasions good sir.”  
  
“Then I shall tell you on many more occasions. My Lady.”  
  
Another heavy grunt echoed through the big hall.  
Signalling that the lowkey flirting between them was too noticeable again.  
At least to the Gorilla.  
  
Okay.  
  
Perhaps it hadn’t been lowkey flirting.  
  
It hadn’t been that for a good while now.  
  
The only thing he, and he didn’t doubt Marinette as well, were sure off, was that it was a mutual thing.  
And neither showed any signs of wanting to stop with that any time soon.  
  
He cleared his throat as a response to his bodyguard’s grunting noises.  
  
“How about I show you my room instead of a tour of the entire house? It would be quicker with my current speed.”  
  
She nodded in response before taking a few steps forward on the grand staircase.  
  
The girl didn’t go all the way up, stopping after three steps to turn back to Adrien. “Up here right?”  
  
Green eyes nodded happily at her.  
The smile he had been wearing through most of their day still there.  
  
Heavy steps started to move across the hallway the moment Adrien took a slow step forward.  
  
The smile disappearing from his lips when he noticed the new sound.  
The short, but heavy sigh, he breathed out was something she easily picked up.  
  
Frustration.  
  
“Hey, could you do us a favor and keep an eye out for our dinner? I’m just….going to show Marinette my room and talk to her and….”  
  
“Do homework.” She added quickly with a convincing nod.  
  
“Do homework.” He repeated. “Please.”  
  
It sounded more as a plea rather than a request.  
  
Marinette wondered if his bodyguard was always like this.  
If Adrien had to often plea to him to leave him alone for a couple of moments.  
  
Whatever the case, it seemed that the large man understood.  
Giving a solemn nod before returning to stand at the front door.  
  
“Thank you.” Adrien shot towards The Gorilla before hurrying up the stairs. Nudging to Marinette to follow him.  
  
“He doesn’t seem too bad.” She remarked as she shut the door to the boy’s room.  
  
“Hmmm?”  
  
“Your bodyguard.”  
  
“Oh, yeah. He can be pretty cool. Turns a blind eye on more than one occasion and having me go through the trouble of shaking him off on others.”

  
  
The girl only nodded as she let her eyes wander around the huge room.  
It was clean.  
Neat.  
  
Not many trinkets placed on objects for decoration.  
Which struck her as odd in a way.  
She knew he was a huge fan of certain games and anime and whatnot.  
At the very least she would have expected a figurine or two.  
But nothing.  
  
Nothing but a lone Ladybug doll sitting next to his computer screen.  
  
She picked up the toy with curiosity and noticed it was a standard issue doll.  
  
“I’d think you would go for the Limited Edition one at the very least.” She told him, holding up the toy.  
  
Adrien gave her a small smirk.  
  
“They were sold out really quick.”  
  
“That was expected. The only time we agreed to have a limited release toy line, for charity no less, and the whole city wants to get their grubby hands on it. Didn’t even get myself a Chat Noir one.”  
  
She heard him snort the moment she put the doll back in place.  
  
“You wanted a Chat Noir doll?”  
  
“Of course.” The girl stated matter of factly. “You were still dropping by every other night and to keep my identity a secret, I had to pretend to be a big fan. Remember.”  
  
“That was all pretend? Princess you’re pawasively horrible.” He joked. “I thought you liked me!”  
  
“I did.” She paused. “I do! A lot. Just not as a fan.”  
  
“I know My Lady. I was just teasing you.” He laughed. “I bought the doll for the same reason. To let everyone in the house know I’m just a Ladybug fan. Don’t want them being too suspicious. Not that...I’m NOT a big fan of yours...it’s just that the real thing is so much better than any merchandise.”  
  
Marinette nodded in understanding, trying to fight back a large smile and a blush rising up to her face.  
Her eyes following his movements as he plopped himself down on the large white sofa in his room.  
  
Gently she opened her purse, initially to pull out her phone and see if she had any new messages since they left the hospital.  
But instead she found the two Kwami huddled up next to each other. Sleeping peacefully.  
Ever so carefully she scooped them both up and gently put them down on the bed.  
Just between the two pillows at the head of it, so that they would be out of sight just in case ‘The Gorilla’, or anybody else, decided to walk in.  
She didn’t know how long they had been asleep or how they managed to do so while she moved so much and through all the giggling that had came from herself and Adrien that afternoon.  
  
But here they were.  
  
Sound asleep nonetheless.  
  
“They aren’t even good looking dolls really.”  
  
Adrien shrugged. “It was for charity. Can’t expect to sell quality for the price they were going.”  
  
She sighed softly.“True. Very true.”  
  
The boy leaned his head back on the sofa, just far enough so he could look at her as well.  
  
“You sound tired.” He noticed.  
  
“I’m probably going to sound like an old lady here but...yeah...I am. Hospital visits are mentally exhausting.”  
  
“Tell me about it.”  
  
Adrien patted the empty space next to him.  
Gesturing for her to sit down.  
  
“You were there you dork. I don’t have to tell you about it.” Marinette joked back. “But...I could….go for a cuddle?” She asked hopeful.  
  
“Well Bug, so could I.”  
  
The blonde opened up his arms and wrapped them around her the moment she had settled down against him.  
One arm draped across his stomach, the other finding a resting place on one of his own arms.  
  
“Comfy?” His soft voice asked.  
  
“Very.”  
  
“We should cuddle more often.”  
  
“Hmmmm….we should.”  
  
A moment of silence fell between the two as they fell into a warm comfort.  
  
“We should talk maybe.” Her soft voice suddenly spoke. “Before we fall asleep and don’t have time to.”  
  
“We should.”  
  
“So...three months.”  
  
“Three months.” He echoed.  
  
“It feels much….longer ago.”  
  
“It does.”  
  
“Adrien.” She swallowed hard before continuing. “I have to be honest with you. It’s...taken me a long time to get used to the idea that you and Chat Noir are the same person and I’m pretty sure I still haven’t gotten used to it.”  
  
He didn’t reply, only nodded in understanding.  
  
Marinette continued. “And ever since I saw you detransform….knowing you’re my partner….I don’t know if it ended up with me knowing you better...or worse….” She took a small breath. “I know we should have been closer by now and I’m sorry we’re not….”  
  
Her words were silenced by a firm kiss against her forehead.  
  
“Don’t.” He muttered. “If anyone should be sorry it’s me. I should have paid more attention where you were rushing off too after that Akuma attack. I would have seen you running in that alley. I would have just kept on bouncing over the rooftops instead of making a u-turn and running into you from the other end.”  
  
“You’ve apologized for that a million times Chaton. This is just as much my fault.”  
  
“I never meant to make you feel so...conflicted Mari. Honestly...the way it happened wasn’t the way I thought it would.”  
  
“Yeah. I never imagined that it would go down like that either.” The young girl sighed again. “That we would find out by being careless during an exit from the scene no less.”  
  
“I have to give you credit for one thing. You didn’t scream. You looked like you were going to, but you didn’t.”  
  
She chuckled. “I didn’t do anything but stand still like a deer caught in some headlights. Not that you made things better by giving me a hug right after and telling me you would text me later.”  
  
“I should have stayed with you. I should have just ditched the whole photoshoot and stayed with you.”  
  
“I had Tikki with me. She snapped me out of it. You couldn’t stay away too long anyway.”  
  
“I know you’re right...but still….”  
  
“You did the right thing Chaton.” She assured him. “I doubt you would have been able to have a full conversation with me anyway.”  
  
“Right.”  
  
“So we shouldn’t blame ourselves or each other. At that moment we did the right thing.”  
  
“You sound like your Kwami, Princess.”  
  
“Knowing how my Kwami sounds, that’s a compliment.”  
  
They both laughed softly before Adrien pressed her closer against him.  
Letting his chin rest on the top of her head.  
  
“You know.” He started. “It all made sense to me after we found out. I felt so stupid for not realizing it sooner. Since you’re not that different from Ladybug really.”  
  
“I guess that made it a lot easier talking to me huh?”  
  
“Well yeah. That and, when I told Nino I had…....have a crush on you, which he shouldn’t have told Alya but apparently did anyway!” He paused to take a breath. “Well, I was so happy to hear you liked me that way too. So...it was a nudge in the right direction.”  
  
“Nino shouldn’t have told you that.”  
  
“It eh….it boosted my confidence too much. I know I came on too strong….with the flowers….and trying to ask you out...while you were clearly still so confused.”  
  
“You were just too eager kitty. It was very sweet the way you tried though.” Marinette snuggled a little closer against him. “I would have probably accepted all of it in a heartbeat if I didn’t know you were Chat. The two of you...act so differently. It’s been hard, and is still hard, to see them as the same person.”  
  
Adrien nodded.  
  
“Can’t say I didn’t have that problem the first couple of days either.”  
  
“Even worse, the more we hung out and got to know each other better. I realized that….Chat Noir isn’t the one wearing the mask.”  
  
She felt his grip tighten around her shoulder and heard him swallow hard.  
  
“You’re...You’re not completely wrong.” He admitted in a soft whisper. “It’s...difficult to explain but...as Adrien I have to hold back a lot of things at certain points.”  
  
“Like with the modelling and stuff?”  
  
He nodded.  
  
“As Chat...I can turn the dial up to twelve and go nuts. Nobody cares about how many stupid puns I tell or what I say. That’s part of what I love about being Chat Noir!”  
  
“I’m only now beginning to notice that too and….” Another sigh passed her lips. “Adrien I want to change that. I...I want to know what you’re really like. I want you to feel comfortable enough around me to be your true self.”  
  
“I wish I could.”  
  
She blinked in confusion.  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“I’m not sure if I know what my true self is to be honest. I’ve been quiet ‘yes father whatever you say father’ Adrien for so long.” The blonde quickly licked his lips before continuing. “And I would be lying if me being Chat hasn’t been a part of how I’m like, when it’s just me hanging out with the rest of the class. Sometimes.”  
  
A small hand reached over to his and gently grasped it. Letting the soft skin of a thumb trace small tracks over the back of his hand.  
  
“I don’t know if I can ever show you my true self Marinette. Because I don’t even know what my true self is supposed to be like.”  
  
“I understand. Then...I just want you to be comfortable around me. As comfortable as you were today. As you are around me when you’re Chat Noir and sneaking in to beg for a cookie or two. As comfortable as Chat Noir is around Ladybug.”  
  
He gently squeezed her hand.  
  
“I don’t think that will ever be a problem.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
“I do need to tell you something Mari.”  
  
“If you’re going to tell me you’re Chat Noir I’m going to freak out!” She joked.  
  
Thankfully, he laughed with her.  
  
“Oh darn! I was going to surprise you!”  
  
Again he planted a firm kiss against her forehead.  
  
“What did you need to tell me Adrien?”  
  
“I’m sorry. For...being too eager when asking you out. I do….love you. Genuinely love you. And I do think you’re sweet, beautiful and kind and amazing Marinette.”  
  
“Adrien I….I….” She took a moment to gather her thoughts.  
  
Always she had figured he was just teasing her.  
Even after she knew.  
Even when the flirting and the compliments started to sound more genuine every day.  
  
“You are so important to me.” She finally said. “I trust you unconditionally Adrien and I deeply care about you but….because this whole thing between us still feels weird to me...well I’m struggling with my own feelings for you as well because of it.”  
  
“So what Nino said wasn’t a lie.”  
  
“Not really.” She shrugged slightly. “I’ve...had this crush on you since you gave me your umbrella at your first day at school.”  
  
“That long.” He laughed.  
  
“Shut up!” She laughed back, gently nudging him in his ribs. “But yes. That long. And now...I’m not even sure if I have a crush on you because I feel I don’t know you as well as I thought I did.”  
  
“Hey.” Adrien shifted slightly on the couch, so he could lift her chin with a free hand, forcing her gaze upwards. “There is something else you need to know. Despite my feelings for you, the most I want for you is to feel comfortable around me too. And if that would be because we’re friends, so be it.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
He let go of her chin.  
  
“Really. Like I said earlier today….I just...want to keep you as part of my life Mari. And if this-” He gestured to the snuggling position they were in. “is the closest we’re going to get, then...I’m going to be content with that.”  
  
For a moment she didn’t reply but merely stared at him.  
  
“You gave this a lot of thought haven’t you?” Marinette eventually asked.  
  
“I did. After I came to your house with the flowers and asking you out on a date and...you said you couldn’t and called me a-”  
  
“I take that back by the way.” The girl interrupted quickly.  
  
He nodded before speaking again, his voice almost a whisper at this point. “I made you cry Mari.”  
  
“I was frustrated Adrien. I wasn’t really angry with you.”  
  
“I know. But I was inconsiderate at that moment. You were being distant after it all happened, and I should have picked up that you needed time and space and instead I-”  
  
“Bought flowers and tried to ask me out on a date instead.”  
  
“Right. And I made you cry. And it was horrible to see. So...I don’t want to make you cry. Ever. Again. So if you rather stay friends with me, I’m okay with that. I can’t, and won’t, force you to love me.”  
  
“Thank you.” Marinette tightened the grip around his waist. “That means a lot to me.”  
  
“You mean a lot to me.”  
  
He notice her smile ever so softly after he muttered those words.  
  
“You mean a lot to me too.”  
  
He let out a satisfied hum while trying to pull her closer against him.  
Adrien knew, that this was the closest he would get to an ‘I love you too’ and he was fine with that.  
  
“I’m glad we had this talk.”  
  
“I thought it would be longer.” She admitted.  
  
“I guess...we have already said a lot of things we wanted to say the past few weeks?”  
  
“I have a feeling we’re going to repeat those things a lot of times to each other too.”  
  
He nodded slightly before letting his head rest on the top of her head.  
  
“Are you really going to be alright as Ladybug?” The boy wondered out loud.  
  
“Are you doubting my abilities as a hero Monsieur Agreste?” She replied jokingly. “I’ll have you know that I’m perfectly capable of purifying an Akuma on my own...I think….maybe?”  
  
“Are you doubting yourself My Lady? I hear doubt.” He joked back.  
  
“No! No! Not at all! It’s just going be very difficult improvising things without you.”  
  
“Awwwww! Bugaboo!”  
  
“Who else am I going to throw at an Akuma as a distraction!”  
  
“You’re right. There’s nobody else more suited for that than me.”  
  
“There really isn’t.”  
  
Another firm kissed was pressed against her skin.  
  
“You really like giving me those don’t you.”  
  
“I do.” Was his short reply before he repeated the action.  
  
“You are aware that’s not going to get me to eventually kiss you right?”  
  
Another peck.  
  
“Perfectly aware.” And another. “I just...felt the need to let you know how much you mean to me after today. You’re amazing Marinette.”  
  
“I’m not sure if kisses would be the correct way to do that.” She laughed as he once again planted a peck on her.  
  
“Platonic kisses.” He added. “Eighty percent, pure, platonic filled smooches.”  
  
“There is so much wrong with what you just said.” She snorted. “Pure platonic? But only eighty percent? What about the other twenty?”  
  
“Inaccessible for now.”  
  
“When will they be accessible?”  
  
“I’ll let you know the moment it is.” Adrien smirked. “Besides that, if you feel uncomfortable-”  
  
“I don’t. Platonic kisses are good with me Kitty. I...actually like it that, despite everything, we’re close enough to have this kind of physical affection without it feeling...weird.”  
  
“Hmm..” The boy hummed. “So this doesn’t feel weird, but that other thing does?”  
  
“Yeah.” Marinette sighed. “I’m weird like that. Sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be. We’re both weird.”  
  
“Absolute weirdos.”  
  
“Yep.”  
  
“I can accept that.”  
  
“So can I Princess. So can I.”  
  
A comfortable moment of silence once again filled the room.  
Nothing to hear but the sound of both of them breathing softly.  
  
“We’re so going to fall asleep aren’t we.” He softly muttered after a small while.  
  
“I don’t want to...but I think we are.”  
  
“How about I try to beat you at a videogame to keep us awake? Get some adrenaline flowing?”  
  
Marinette didn’t reply straight away, but pushed herself out of the cuddling position instead.  
Stretching her arms above her as a small yawn escaped her.  
  
“I don’t think we’d be able to get enough napping time in before our food arrives anyway.” Adrien continued.  
  
He watched as she slightly nodded in agreement.  
  
“Can I pick?”  
  
“But of course My Lady. It’s not like I’ll be able to beat you this time anyway.”  
  
“Well...since I broke your leg, I could go easy on you.”  
  
“How considerate.” 

 

* * *

  
  
  
Gabriel Agreste was a patient man.  
Yet when he heard his son was in the hospital, with a broken leg, he cursed at the unfortunate timing of the accident.  
Wanting nothing more than to just be able to drop everything and check up on him.  
  
But...there was no way he would be able to leave.  
Not with multiple deadlines breathing down his neck.  
Jobs were on the line if he didn’t reach those deadlines.  
  
And Nathalie had assured him it had been only a broken leg and a classmate had been standing by him he entire time.  
Not leaving his side.  
  
So he had decided, for the good of the company, to let things be and get home as quickly as he could.  
Yet guilt ate away at him.  
  
He was supposed to be there.  
He knew that.  
Yet he couldn’t.  
He had to make it up to his son somehow. In a more fatherly way than he had done in the past.  
Thought Nathalie had assured him the pizza was a good start.  
Even when his attempts to keep his son as safe as can be came from the right place, he wasn’t sure Adrien had seen it that way.  
The boy had never complained, but the sudden fierce comment he had shot back to him not too long ago still haunted his mind.  
  
_“ Is that the only thing you haven’t noticed before?”_  
  
Thoughts didn’t stop gnawed at him the moment he finally was able to get home however.  
He needed to do better.  
He wanted to do better.  
What if his accident had been fatal? He wouldn’t be there to say goodbye.  
Simply because his job demanded his constant attention.  
  
He wasn’t sure how his wife did it.  
Helping him run a large fashion empire, as well as find enough time to tutor their son and spend quality time with him.  
  
He couldn’t be the miracle worker she had been.  
  
But he needed to better.  
He realized that now.  
Something that probably came too late, but he did realize it.  
  
“Nathalie.”  
  
“Sir?”  
  
“Do I have any openings in my schedule for the next week? Or even this weekend?”  
  
His assistant feverishly scrolled through the planning on her tablet.  
  
“Afraid not Sir.” She replied with a disappointed tone in her voice. “You’re scheduled to approve of the final designs for the Milan fashion show this entire weekend.”  
  
Dang.  
  
He couldn’t get out of that.  
  
“Is the Russian ballet still performing next week?”  
  
A moment of silence fell as Nathalie checked if they were.  
  
“They are. Until next Thursday Sir.”  
  
“Good.” Gabriel nodded. “Do you think Adrien would enjoy that?”  
  
“I’m...not sure Sir. You should probably ask him yourself if you’re planning on taking him anywhere.” Her eyes were still fixated on the device in her hands. “Unfortunately Adrien’s schedule conflicts with yours Sir. The only night you would be able to go is on Monday night, but Adrien has a fencing tournament then.”  
  
“He has broken his leg Nathalie. Sports are out of the question for the next couple of weeks.”  
  
“You’re right Sir. It slipped my mind.”  
  
The woman furiously typed on the screen.  
  
“I shall ask him tonight. I’m sure he might enjoy it.”  
  
“As long as you don’t cancel at the last minute Sir, I’m sure he will.”  
  
“Have I before?” Gabriel frowned.  
  
“Too many times Sir.”  
  
At this moment he wasn’t sure if he could appreciate Nathalie’s honesty or if he should scold her for such a sudden remark.  
Eventually he chose neither.  
Both of them were tired from the long day.  
  
Both of them had skipped lunch.  
  
She hadn’t been in the best of moods today either he had noticed.  
She was a hard worker and a valuable employee.  
Not to mention that he had no intention of working in another assistant at such a busy period for the company.  
  
“Am I a bad father?” He suddenly asked, averting his gaze and turning to look out the window. “Be honest.”  
  
For the longest time she didn’t say anything.  
  
“You...are not a bad father Mister Agreste….just an inexperienced one.”  
  
He briefly huffed.  
  
“Your wife took care of Adrien so you could focus on the company. Raising him was what she did.” She explained. “And Adrien is at a difficult age himself.”  
  
“And yet...I was closer to him when I didn’t try raising him then I am now. So what does that say?”  
  
“I...I do not know Sir.”  
  
The car came to an halt.  
The large Agreste mansion a mere shadow against the evening sky of Paris.  
  
He stepped out of the vehicle, she followed his example.  
  
“He doesn’t hate you.” She tried to reassure him. “It’s not too late to let him know you care. That you’re trying. Sir.”  
  
The man didn’t reply, but simply walked into his home.  
Taking her words into consideration.  
  
Upon entering the large hallway, he was greeted by his son’s bodyguard with a short grunt and a nod.  
  
“I assume my son is home.”  
  
Again the large man nodded.  
  
“He is probably in his room.”  
  
‘The Gorilla’ gave another grunt.  
  
“Very well.” Gabriel turned towards Nathalie. “I am going to see how my son fares.”  
  
“May I suggest trying to have a regular conversation with him Sir. The standard ‘Goodnight’ will most likely be insufficient.”  
  
“I am aware that is what I need to be doing Nathalie. Thank you.”  
  
“Also keep in mind that Adrien’s friend might also still be here.”  
  
Another confirming grunt from the bodyguard.  
  
“She is? I thought she would have gone home by now?”  
  
“Miss Dupain-Cheng did state that she was going to stay and keep Adrien company until you would come home Sir. She seemed...very determined. So I doubt she has headed home just yet.”  
  
Gabriel merely sighed before walking up the grand staircase.  
Followed suit by Nathalie.  
  
Reaching the door of his son’s room, he hesitated to knock.  
  
“Nathalie.”  
  
“Yes Mister Agreste.”  
  
“Is it appropriate to give the girl some sort of reward for staying by Adrien’s side all this time?”  
  
Nathalie frowned.  
  
“I’m sure a simple ‘thank you’ would suffice.”  
  
The man nodded before knocking on the door.  
There was no answer however, only the muffled sounds of laughter and music.  
  
Again he knocked.  
  
Again no answer.  
  
“Just open the door Sir. I’m sure you’re not interrupting anything.” His assistant sighed before walking back down to the hall.  
  
Ignoring her advice, he knocked again.  
And for the third time, there was no answer.  
  
Clearing his throat, Gabriel opened the door.  
Inside, he noticed that most of the lights were turned off.  
The television flashing images of some...computer game….on it’s screen.  
  
The two teens focused intensely on their game.  
He was about to speak up when the young girl threw her hands up and shouted.  
  
“Victory!”  
  
In turn Adrien did the same and exclaimed in the same loud voice. “Almost victory!”  
  
Marinette bursted out in laughter. “You weren’t even close Chaton!”  
  
Chaton?  
  
“I was closer, Princess!” Adrien countered with a laugh.  
  
Princess?  
  
The man silently observed the two as they were unaware of his presence in the room.  
  
He watched them exchange playful banter for a while.  
The nicknames frequently dropped.  
It wasn’t until the girl had doubled over in laughter again, that he noticed a, somewhat dreamy look on his son’s face.  
  
Instantly the words he once spat out to him resurfaced back in his mind.  
  
What hadn’t he noticed lately?  
Had he always been this close to this particular classmate?  
The only thing he remembered was her name being dropped more frequently but….only now he noticed why that might have been.  
  
Remaining his posture, Gabriel quietly walked over to the two teenagers.  
His eyes falling on the empty pizza box resting on the small coffee table in the room.  
Sneakily he placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, feeling him startle under his touch.  
The burst of laughter the girl had let out was abruptly stopped.  
  
“Father?!” Adrien gasped. “I...I didn’t hear you come in.”  
  
The gaze of the man moved to the cast on the boy’s leg.  
  
“Are you in pain son?”  
  
Adrien shook his head. “No father. Not yet anyway. Just a little bit in discomfort.”  
  
“I’m sorry Mister Agreste.” The girl suddenly apologized. “This was all my fault. I tripped down some stairs and grabbed onto Adrien and dragged him down with me.”  
  
“It was an accident!” Adrien added quickly. “And if I noticed you falling sooner I might have been able to catch you too. So….”  
  
Gabriel only nodded in understanding.  
  
“ Accidents happen.” He then stated. “It is...unfortunate that it is happening at this particular time, but it can not be helped.”  
  
A look of guilt graced the face of the young girl after he spoke.  
He didn’t doubt she was aware of Adrien’s importance when it came to promoting his new fashion line.  
  
“Thank you Miss Dupain-Cheng. For staying with my son regardless of what happened.”  
  
“N-No problem Mister Agreste. We’re friends so...it wouldn’t be right to leave Adrien’s side. And it was my fault. It was the least I could do.” She rambled. “But hey! I promised I would stay until you got home, so this is probably my cue to leave.”  
  
Nervously the girl stood up from the sofa and walked towards the bed, where a pink purse had been placed.  
  
“Let me see you out Mari.”  
  
“It’s okay really.”  
  
“I want to.” Adrien pressed on, grabbing his crutches from the floor.  
  
“It is quite late Miss Dupain-Cheng. At the very least let my chauffeur drive you home.”  
  
“Oh, that’s alright. I live close by.”  
  
“It is really dark out Prin- Marinette. I would feel better knowing you made is safely back home. You never know what might happen after dark. Thugs everywhere you know.” Adrien mentioned, words being spoken at a rapid pace.  
  
Something he hadn’t notice him doing before.  
At least not to his recollection.  
  
The girl bit her lip before speaking again. “Okay. If it’s not too much trouble.”  
  
“Not at all.” Gabriel assured her.  
  
Marinette shot both of them a grateful smile before they made their way back to the large hallway.  
  
“Excuse me for a moment while I’ll notify my driver for you.” The man polity said before briefly excusing himself.  
  
While he didn’t leave the large hallway, he gave the two youngsters enough room to say goodby to each other.  
Perhaps a short observation of the two would clarify the sudden use of nicknames between the two.  
Though Gabriel wasn’t born yesterday.  
He had a suspicion. He just wanted to be sure before addressing the boy about it.  
Dating was a tricky after all.  
Even more so bearing the Agreste name.  
  
Within a few minutes however, his driver had rung the doorbell and Marinette took her leave.  
Waving awkwardly at both of them and thanking the man for letting her stay and have pizza.  
  
“Text me when you get home!” Adrien shouted before she stepped in the car. "And I'll make sure you get these jeans on Monday!"  
  
She gave a quick nod and the car door was closed for her.  
  
“A text?” Gabriel questioned after the vehicle left the courtyard of the mansion.  
  
“To let me know she got home safely.” His son stated matter of factly.  
  
“Of course.”  
  
“Thank you for allowing me to have….euhm….a dinner that’s not appropriate to combine with my current….euhm…”  
  
“Maximum intake of calories.” He finished for him.  
  
“Yes. That. Thank you for that.”  
  
“I specifically remember asking for a pizza as well.”  
  
“It’s in the fridge father. We ordered one uncooked for you since we didn’t know when you would be home.”  
  
“Excellent.”  
  
Adrien showed a large smile in reply.  
  
“Before I let you retire for the day son, we need to have a talk.”  
  
“About what father?”  
  
“About some rules we have to establish.”  
  
By now the boy looked even more confused.  
  
“I expect Miss Dupain-Cheng’s parents over for dinner soon. To make their acquaintance.” The man elaborated. “And I trust you have a talk with her about how she is expected to behave when in public. I assume you want to keep her out of the eye of the paparazzi?”  
  
The boy blinked a couple of times.  
  
“You don’t mean…” He stammered.  
  
“Of course your bodyguard will accompany you when you two will be going out. She needs to be aware of that as well.”  
  
“Father, we’re not dating.”  
  
This time it was Gabriel who blinked in confusion.  
  
“Oh? I could have sworn….with the nicknames…..and you are at that age….” He muttered.  
  
“You wouldn’t be the first one today to think that.” His son laughed sheepishly. “I’m afraid that’s how we just act around each other.”  
  
The man cleared his throat.  
  
“My apologies for assuming son.”  
  
“It’s alright father.”  
  
He gave his son a couple of pats on his shoulder before walking in the direction of the kitchen.  
Halfway there he turned around however.  
Turning his attention back towards him.  
  
“Adrien?”  
  
“Yes father?”  
  
“Sleep well.”  
  
“Enjoy your dinner father.”  
  
Gabriel sighed.  
Perhaps there was some truth to Nathalie’s words.  
How much of a father was he really? That he wasn’t even able to tell his son that he wouldn’t be against him starting a romantic relationship.  
That he trusted him in doing so.  
That he could come to him to discuss these matters instead of having to observe him more closely from a distance.  
  
Perhaps he could try again in the morning.  
  
For now, he was stressed and starving.  
  
Walking into the kitchen, he found his assistant keeping a close eye on the oven.  
The smell of greasy pizza filling the room.  
  
“I took the liberty of preparing your dinner for you Sir. The cook has already left for the day.”  
  
“Thank you Nathalie.”  
  
“Did you ask Adrien if he would like to see the ballet? I would like to make reservations tonight if you don’t mind.”  
  
He sighed once again.  
  
“Nathalie.”  
  
“Yes Sir?”  
  
“Don’t ever quit. I would be a mess without your help. This household would be a mess without your help.”  
  
Normally, any employee would beam at such praise.  
She did not however.  
  
“You forgot to ask didn’t you Sir.”  
  
“I forgot to ask.” He confirmed.  



	5. What's in a kiss *

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small sequel to the first chapter 'in good company'.
> 
> Moving slightly from the platonic setup in that chapter.
> 
> I also really wanted to write a hairbrush act scene so there's that.
> 
> The prompt for this one was 'I...I think I love you'.
> 
> I'm not the best at romantic scenes so I guess that kinda shows too. XD

* * *

  
  
Friday night.   
  
Usually it was one of those few nights where she had some free time.   
Time to do homework.   
Time to work on a design, listen to music, just lurk online for a bit.   
  
Normal stuff every teen would be doing.   
  
Up until the point that Chat Noir would drop down from her skylight window that is.  
Armed with various snacks, drinks, and if it was his turn to pick, a dvd or two containing some anime or a movie he thought she’d like.   
  
He wasn’t an unwelcome guest.   
  
Not anymore at least.   
  
Not after all those months of regular visits.   
  
Not long after the point where their movie nights had become a regular thing, she was learning more and more about her partner in crime fighting.   
Not enough to let her know his identity as a civilian, but enough to keep her curiosity ignited.   
Enough to see there was more to him then just puns and showing off.   
  
Enough that, at a couple of points, she had contemplated telling him that she was Ladybug.   
That she was his partner and that he could come to her during patrols as well if he needed to get something off his chest.   
  
Things he would vaguely share with her as Marinette at times, but not her as Ladybug.   
Despite trying to persuade him to talk.   
  
It was through his sudden openness to her civilian self, that she now knew that he had a strict father who expected a lot from him.   
Who never had time to just sit down and talk to him.   
  
At this point, Marinette suspected that his family might be struggling to get by.   
As his father seemed to be working more than he spend time with his son.   
  
She had noticed how he never spoke about a mother.   
Or mother figure.   
And honestly she didn’t dare ask, fearing to open up something he wanted to keep closed.   
  
He also mentioned, on more than one occasion, that he loved being Chat Noir because it gave him the chance to get out of his empty house.   
To feel free.

  
Which led her to believe that he did not have any siblings to look after as well.   
  
She had never heard him refer to his house as a home either.   
  
From what little he had given her about his life, she knew she wanted to learn more.   
More about what he was really like.   
Because from the time they had spend together as heroes, compared to their movie nights, she had learned that she didn’t know him as well as she thought she did.   
  
Or as well as she should.   
  
Marinette wanted to change that.   
  
Something she decided on when Chat Noir had dropped into her room, outside of their scheduled hangout evenings.   
And when she had asked why he had responded with “Because I need to be away from….things...for a moment, but I don’t want to be alone.”   
  
She had given him a long hug in response.   
The first of many which had quickly turned into friendly cuddling on occasion as well.   
  
There was no denying it.   
The two of them had gotten quite close.   
She no longer felt the need to push him away and act like someone she wasn’t in his presence.   
She didn’t want to push him away.   
  
Marinette sighed as she recalled the moment.   
  
Ears covered by a set of headphones to drown out the beats coming from her school, with the tunes from Jagged Stone’s latest album.   
  
That didn’t help at all to stop the vibrations from the music coming through her walls.   
  
Which was one downside of living practically right next to the school building.   
  
It would only be for one evening.   
  
One school dance.   
  
Which she didn’t doubt would hear all about it on Monday from Alya and her other classmates.   
  
A dance she would have gone to, if not for the fact that the guy she was crushing on, was already being asked to the dance the moment she was going to.   
  
Strangely, she had felt a wave of relief when backing out of it.   
  
And she didn’t know why she felt like that until she realized that she didn’t feel ready to ask him out just yet.   
  
How typical.

Even after all the encouragement Alya and Chat Noir had given her.   
She still felt too afraid to ask Adrien out.   
  
Not that Chat knew she was crushing on Adrien.   
  
As far as he knew, it was just ‘some guy’.   
  
That never stopped him from giving her advice and encouragement.   
Even going so far as proposing a ridiculous plan of going to the dance together and casually dropping her in Adrien’s care before exiting the party.   
  
The girl snorted.   
Recalling the conversation from a couple of days ago vividly.   
  
No.   
  
She wasn’t ready to keep her chin up while possibly making a fool out of herself, for not only Adrien to see, but the rest of the school as well.   
She rather let Chat Noir hug her back, arms folded around her belly, while they made fun of bad movies and munched on snacks on her bed.   
Crumbs and all.   
  
Marinette shook her head and glanced at the clock on her computer screen.   
  
She had let her thoughts wander long enough.   
  
Long enough that Jagged’s voice had long since stopped singing and music no longer played.   
Only the vibrations coming from the school boomed through the walls once more.   
  
  
Leaning back in her chair, she was about ready to click the play button once again.   
Ready to let the album repeats it’s content for the third time that evening.   
Before she was able to do so however, warm arms had found a way over her shoulders.   
Wrapping her in a loose embrace before she felt something connect with the top of her head.   
  
Surprised by the sudden contact, she let out a loud gasp.   
  
“Relax Princess!” A familiar voice laughed. “It’s just me.”   
  
“Chat! You startled me!” She scolded lightly.   
  
Swiftly, he turned the chair around so she would face him. “My humblest a _ paw _ ologies Marinette.” The hero deeply bowed. “I’ll be sure to knock twelve times on your window instead of eleven, before I drop in next time.”   
  
“You knocked?”   
  
The girl wasn’t sure why she hadn’t heard it.   
Was she so lost in thought?   
  
“I did. Several times.” He repeated. “At first I thought you actually asked out that guy you liked and went to the dance when you didn’t answer. But you didn’t lock the skylight and your lights were on so……”   
  
He didn’t need to explain any further as she nodded in response.   
  
“So did he turn you down?” He asked carefully.   
  
“More like I didn’t ask him.” Marinette muttered. “Not that I could, since there was already a girl all over him to ask the same thing when I had enough courage to walk up to him.”   
  
“Well...we could always go back to plan A if you want.” The hero joked before placing himself on her pink chaise lounge.   
  
She giggled at the thought again, letting her headphones drop onto her shoulders.   
  
“Thank you Chat, but I’d rather just watch a movie with you tonight.” She bit her lip before continuing. “Honestly….I don’t think I’m ready to ask him out just yet.”   
  
“Not ready as in….?”   
  
“Not ready as in, not ready.” She sighed again. “I don’t know...I just...have this habit of making a fool out of myself in front of him and....I want to ask him out when I’m more past that.”   
  
He didn’t throw up a joke, but merely nodded in understanding.   
  
“So he doesn’t feel awkward around me because I’m being awkward.”

“Does he feel that way?”   
  
Marinette shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s more a hunch I get whenever I try to talk to him. That he doesn’t know how to respond because I don’t seem to be able to form a complete sentence around him.” A small chuckle passed her lips. “I just want him to be comfortable talking to me. Just like we do.”   
  
Again the hero nodded.   
  
“But hey! Maybe next time right?” She grinned. “But enough about my unsuccessful love life. How was your day?”   
  
She noticed how his face briefly frowned as he searched for the right words.   
  
“Oh...eh...pretty lousy actually.”   
  
His voice was soft as he spoke.   
No longer filled with a joking tone or the energy it had when he first came in the room.   
Honesty dripping from every word.   
  
“Do you...want to talk about it?”   
  
“I can’t. Not without letting you know who I am.”   
  
She bit her lip again.   
a sudden urge to just hug the living daylights out of him, rising within her.   
An urge that always surfaced when he seemed to be having something on his mind that was bothering him.   
When he opened up completely to her as a civilian.   
  
“Not even a little?”   
  
The girl mentally slapped herself for pressing on.   
She knew he couldn’t and she didn’t doubt Tikki would scold her on it after Chat left.   
The little Kwami was hiding somewhere in the room after all.   
She always did during his visits.   
  
“Not unless you want me on Ladybug’s bad side.” He stated jokingly. If only for a mere moment. “But you know I can’t Mari and it’s not because I don’t trust you. I do.”   
  
He sighed before looking away.   
  
“If I could, I would have told you who I really am a long time ago. But...most of all...I want to keep you safe.”   
  
“I know...”

  
They have had the same conversation before.   
More than once.   
  
Chat Noir nodded.   
  
“I just....want to help when you’re feeling sad. As much as I can. Because I noticed you never seem to show...this….” She gestured towards him. “Whenever you are out there being a superhero. It’s like you bottle too many things up.”   
  
“This?”   
  
“The non-dorky-pun-throwing side.”   
  
“That’s because there’s hardly time to bewteen Akuma attacks.” He laughed.    
  
“Then talk it over with Ladybug when you’re out on patrol.” She suggested. “You guys are friends right? I don’t think she minds listening too. And it might help having more people to talk to when you’re having a bad day?”   
  
So technically it wouldn’t be more people.   
Not that she could tell him that.   
But she couldn’t let him know that Ladybug wasn’t as much there for him as Marinette was.   
  
“I know it’s sounds strange but...I rather wait until I get to see you to talk about any problems I have. My Lady isn’t that big on personal conversations during patrols. Unless I’m annoying you by running to you all the time with these things.”

Marinette frowned slightly.

She couldn’t even remember the last time Chat tried to talk about personal things during a patrol.   
It was before he decided to frequently drop by.   
That much she knew.   
Had she really pushed him away as Ladybug that much?   
  
While here she was, as Marinette, trying her best not to push him away.   
  
And was he really afraid of annoying her?

  
“You’d never annoy me with something like that.” She stated proudly.“And am I the exception? Or do you come to other civilians with your problems as well.”   
  
He smiled. “Only to those who offer a stray like myself, shelter from a rainstorm. Which has been only you so far.”   
  
Ah.   
How could she forget.   
  
The rainstorm that raged when she had noticed Chat Noir patrolling outside at a strange time during the night.   
  
She had called him inside.   
Calling him crazy for going out in this kind of weather.   
  
Her parents had helped her gather enough towels to get him dry.   
  
He had apologized a thousand times and after some tea and pressing on, he had reluctantly told her that he needed to clear his head that night and rather go into the storm than sit at home.   
  
Her parents had insisted he’d sleep on the sofa.   
Not wanting to send him out in that horrible weather.   
  
As expected, he was gone by morning when the storm had died down.   
  
What she didn’t expect was for him to return the following evening.   
  
And then he did again.   
  
And again.   
  
And again.   
  
“But...to be honest. Just like you’re not comfortable asking out that guy you like, I...don’t feel comfortable telling Ladybug all my whoes. It might seem like we’re really close, but we’re not. Not like you and me.” He quickly continued to explain. “And if I could tell you what’s on my mind, I would. But not this time I’m afraid.”   
  
“I understand and I still think you could talk to Ladybug about stuff like this as well. I’m sure she understands and wants to support you too. But...if you can’t tell me...then…” She paused a moment before continuing. “How about something to keep your mind off whatever caused your bad day? We can watch whatever movie you brought with you or play a game or...something.”   
  
He stood up from the lounge. “I got the perfect movie! You’re going to like it! It’s a love story.”   
  
She noticed that he seemed grateful for  the change of subject.   
  
“Yay! We can make fun of unrealistic romantic plots again!” The girl gleefully clapped her hands. A smile curled up on her lips.   
  
“Maybe not this one. It’s very slow paced but it’s not as ridiculous as you might think. At least...I didn’t think it was.”   
  
“Boo! I’m picking out the next movie then.” She pouted.   
  
“Of course Princess. But first…” The hero pointed at the dress displayed on her mannequin. “Remember our bet.”   
  
“No.” She lied.   
  
“Yes you do and it would be a shame to not see you wear it once.”   
  
“I’m not going to wear it.”   
  
This time he pouted. Worries forgotten for the moment. “But I beat Fantina for you! I won the bet. You agreed to it.”   
  
“I didn’t think you were serious!” She countered.   
  
“Fine. How about a hug and one dance instead.”   
  
Marinette shook her head in amusement before throwing her headphones off her neck and onto her desk.   
Standing up she walked towards him with open arms.   
Eagerly, he took her invitation, wrapping his arms tightly around her back.   
  
It didn’t feel soft and warm like other hugs he had given her.   
  
His face was buried in the crook of her neck, she felt him pull her against him as much as he could.   
  
Instinctively, Marinette brought a hand up to his head.   
Letting her fingers get tangled in locks of golden hair as she gently petted him.   
  
“That bad huh?”   
  
His voice was slightly hoarse when he replied. “Yeah.”   
  
She suspected he was holding back a lot of emotions.   
  
They stayed like that, for what seemed an eternity until Chat spoke again. “It would have been her birthday today.”   
  
“Hmm?”   
  
“My mother.” He whispered. “It would have been her birthday today.”   
  
He tightened the embrace. “And...I wanted to do...something….to remember her….but….father…. “ He sighed sadly. “I wish I could tell you more.”   
  
“You told me enough Chat. I wish I could help you more.”   
  
“You’re helping me in more ways than you can imagine Marinette.” The boy let go of her. “Thank you.”   
  
There was a genuine smile on his face once again.   
Not the smirk he sometimes showed when he was feeling sad, but tried to hide it anyway.   
It was something she only noticed he did the more time she ended up spending with him.   
  
Honestly, Marinette wasn’t sure what to think about that.   
  
Was it something he did on purpose or out of habit?   
  
Still...there was no sign of it right now and she was glad for that.   
  
“I feel much better.” He sighed happily.    
  
“Are you sure?”   
  
He nodded.   
  
“Good.” She smiled back. “Because I can’t promise you will be after you get your toes stepped on a million times.”   
  
He laughed at her remark. “You can’t be THAT bad of a dancer.”   
  
“For all you know, I could be the worst dancer in Paris.”   
  
“Only Paris?” He laughed again. “I’m sure I’ll manage as your dancing partner then.”   
  
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you Chaton.” Marinette teased. “You like Jagged Stone right? Have you listened to his new album yet? There’s some nice ones on there we can use to dance on.”   
  
“I haven’t.” He admitted sheepishly. “That is to say, I do own the album. But I haven’t had the time to listen to it yet.”   
  
“Okay…” She thought for a moment. “...have you at least heard that new song on the radio? Edge of Seventeen? I think it’s a cover he did.”   
  
Chat Noir nodded.   
  
“Sure. Who hasn’t. Most stations play it nonstop. I’ve heard it a few times when I was m-”    
  
He stopped mid sentence, which earned him a raised brow from Marinette.   
  
“You almost slipped up didn’t you.” She teased.   
  
He didn’t reply but looked away from her all the same.   
That was all the answer she needed.   
  
A small smirk gracing her face, she walked towards her computer and unplugged the headphones.   
  
After a few clicks of her mouse, the heavy beat of the song filled up her room.   
Strangely enough, the vibrations of the party across the street, where an excellent addition to it all.   
  
Putting her hands behind her back, she moved her hips from left to right.   
Awkwardly and stiffly moving in place, waiting for him to make a move.   
  
“That’s not dancing.” The boy snickered.   
  
“No. But I’m not stepping on your toes like this either.”   
  
The hero took a few steps forwards and offered her his hand. “Come on. Let’s move like it’s the end of the world.”   
  
Marinette laughed as she grasped his hand and was pulled closer to him.   
  
“That sounded so dramatic!”   
  
His placed a hand on her waist, another still firmly grasping her hand.   
He started to move, she had no choice but to follow.   
  
“I thought you should know by now that dramatic flair is my specialty Princess.” Chat stated matter of factly.   
  
Swiftly he twirled her around and let go of her all together.   
Instantly she missed his warmth on her skin.   
Yet she didn’t fall back into the awkward swaying she did moments ago.   
  
“I try to forget, but you keep reminding me.” She joked back.   
  
By the time the second verse rolled along, he wore a happy grin on his face.   
The corners of his mouth curled upwards as much as he could.   
  
The boy didn’t shoot another comment at her.   
He didn’t try to tease her.   
  
What came from his lips was something unexpected.   
  
He tried to sing along with the melody.   
  
First a mutter, then she could clearly hear the words he was singing.   
  
“Well he seemed broken heaaaarteeed. Somethin’ within hiiiiiiiim”   
  
Marinette giggled lightly before joining in, her voice louder than his own.   
  
“But that moment. When I first laid. Eyes. On. Him. All alone on the edge oooofffff. Seventeeeeeeen.”   
  
It’s was all the encouragement he needed to raise his voice even further.   
Within no time at all, both of the teens danced and sang the chorus together.   
Not caring who heard them or how bad their dancing and singing was.   
  
Chat twirled her around several times.   
  
She mimicked his over the top movements, with some of her own.   
Grabbing her hairbrush from her desk, she loudly sang the third verse with him.   
  
It all quickly turned from a simple dance, to an all out karaoke act.   
  
Complete with mutters to the parts of the song they didn’t know.   
Followed up by laughter and full out singing again once Jagged Stone reached the chorus.   
  
All too soon they found themselves singing they last word.   
  
Chat managed to find a moment to twirl and dip her down as deeply as he could.   
She had dropped her hairbrush in surprise but managed to sing the final ‘whooo’ with him through her laughter.   
  
Even as the music stopped playing, and the thumping of the school dance was all they heard, Chat dragged out that last ‘whooo’ as long as he could.   
Pulling her up from dipping her in the process.   
  
“You sound like a howling dog.” She snorted.   
  
“Whooooooooooooo.” He sang once more, his smile widening.   
  
“Whoooooooo.” She echoed as she felt him pulling her closer.   
  
Their foreheads touched before they both fell into a short fit of laughter.   
  
“We’re such dorks.” Marinette sighed happily.   
  
“Dorks who know how to dance. You didn’t step on my toes once.”   
  
“You’re just good at avoiding my feet.”   
  
As the girl looked up, she noticed something new.   
He looked...contented.   
Happy?   
No. Peacefull would be a better word.   
  
He looked at her with a soft gaze and she wasn’t sure if it was a thankful, one or a loving one.   
It was a strange look on him.   
One she wasn’t familiar with.   
  
As her thoughts started to wander again, she didn’t notice how he closed the small space between them, until his upper lip ever so lightly brushed against her own.   
  
Much time to process his actions wasn’t given to her, as Chat pulled away from her body the moment after he made contact.   
  
“I’m….” He sighed as he grasped his head with both hands. “I’m so, so, so sorry Marinette!”   
  
She was at a loss for words.   
  
“I don’t know what came over me. I’m so sorry!”

“Chat.” She muttered, feeling a familiar glow rise up to her cheeks.   
  
Yet he didn’t seem to hear her.   
  
“I’ve been messing everything up today and I shouldn’t…..” Another sigh. “I didn’t meant to! I’m so sorry!” He started to nervously walk around her room, arms making wild gestures as he rambled.    
  
“Chat.” She repeated. A bit louder this time.   
  
“I-I-I should just go. I’m so sorry Marinette. You’re such a great friend and you…..” He paused. Unable to ramble on further. “I should….. I’m sorry.”   
  
She raised her voice a bit more, hoping to snap him out of whatever he was in. “Chat it’s okay!”   
  
A moment of silence fell between the two.   
She noticed him calming down a little before speaking again. “I messed up.”   
  
“You didn’t.” She assured him. “T-That wasn’t even an actual kiss!”

“It...It wasn’t?” He asked perplexed.   
  
“No?” She answered, puzzled about his reaction. “It was almost a kiss. But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t….a….”    
  
Marinette stopped talking when he took a seat back on her chaise.   
Sighing deeply once again while he did so.   
  
“Great.” He muttered. “One more thing I’m screwing up today.”   
  
“What are you talking about Chat?”   
  
The look of distraught on his face pained her.   
Clearly their dance hadn’t helped ease the worries on his mind one bit.   
  
“I’m risking...what we have...our friendship...because of this…” He gestured wildly with his hands, trying to look for the right words. “….sudden, impulsive, urge to kiss you and it wasn’t even an actual kiss!”   
  
Frustrated he let himself fall backwards, his head colliding with the wall behind him, his hands covering his face.   
  
“Au.”   
  
“Poor kitty.” Marinette sighed, a small smile plastered on her face.   
  
With a small huff of her own, she placed herself next to him and patted his leg a few times. “You didn’t ruin our friendship with that. To be honest...I’m not sure what you were thinking trying to kiss me...but I’m not angry with you. You stopped yourself on time. No harm done.”   
  
Chat Noir groaned slightly in response, not moving from his current position.   
Marinette could hear some faint mutters under his breath but could only pick out a few words.   
  
Stupid.   
  
Reckless.   
  
Love.   
  
“But...I do like to know why you tried. I think you owe me that at least.”   
  
“Curiosity got me into this mess Mari. Don’t make the same mistake I did.”   
  
“You make no sense.” She laughed. “Just tell me! I won’t laugh I promise.”   
  
She raised her hand upward and placed one over her heart.   
  
Chat slightly moved his arms and glanced at her.   
  
“Okay….” He huffed, leaning forward so he was sitting in a more comfortable position. “There are two reasons for why I tried...and they’ll sound stupid...and I won’t blame you for laughing…”   
  
“Chat. Just tell me.”   
  
He breathed in deeply. “The first reason I tried...is your fault actually.”   
  
“What?!” The girl asked in a laughing matter, sounding half insulted by the accusation.   
  
“You just look so darn kissable lately!”   
  
It took exactly three seconds before his words had sunken in.   
The red hue on her face deepened even more before she started laughing uncontrollably.   
  
The hero pouted. “You promised you wouldn’t laugh.”   
  
“Y-You said you w-wouldn’t b-blame me if I did!” She countered. “H-How is it my fault for l-looking so kissable?!”   
  
“You bought new lipgloss last month.”   
  
“I...I...did.” She gasped as the girl slowly regained her posture. Tears of laughter having filled her eyes. “What about it?”   
  
Marinette whipped away the moisture from her tears as he explained. “I don’t know...it’s just that ever since you use it, I just notice how...and this might sound creepy….but I notice how soft your lips actually are.”   
  
“Oh Chat.” Both of her hands cupped the sides of his head. “Dear, sweet, Chat Noir. You’ve watched too many cheesy romance movies.”   
  
“That’s what Plagg said too.”   
  
The tiniest of smirks curled up on his lips, but it disappeared once she had let go of his face.   
  
“What’s the other reason?”   
  
“I...I can’t say.”   
  
“Identity stuff?”   
  
“No.” He replied. “More like...fearing of losing you as a friend stuff.”   
  
  
There was no doubt in his voice and she had to admit, she was proud of him for not being afraid to share his fears with her like that.   
  
“That awkward?”   
  
“That complicated.”   
  
“I think our friendship can survive complicated.”   
  
He eyed her curiously before finally speaking again.   
  
“I...I think I love you.”   
  
She didn’t respond, but her eyes grew wide.   
Her reaction didn’t go unnoticed.   
  
“I knew I shouldn’t….” Another sigh.”I’d better go….”   
  
The boy was about to stand up, but she pulled him back down by his tail.   
Warmth once again creeping under her skin.   
  
“Chat...I-I….I think that’s very flattering that you...you love me but…”   
  
“I know you like someone else...and I’m not even sure if I don’t love Ladybug anymore either.” He started when he noticed she wasn’t going to finish her sentence.   
  
“That does sound complicated.” Marinette agreed.   
  
“I just know that...you give me something I’ve been missing in my life for a good while now. Something Ladybug hasn’t given me, but it’s something I didn’t realize I lost until you showed it to me again.”   
  
Marinette shook her head. “You’re making no sense again.”   
  
“It’s...It’s…” He gestured wildly with his hands again. Clearly not being sure how to explain her everything. “Something.”   
  
She raised a brow.“Something?”   
  
“Something you’ve been giving me ever since...you let me stay here every week.”   
  
He looked tense, she noticed.    
Confussed.   
And she couldn’t blame him.   
The only thing she could do, the best thing she could do, was try and cheer him up and let him down gently.   
Or find a solution.   
Steer him back to loving Ladybug.   
Ladybug who would reject his advances anyway.   
Just like she would.   
  
Because she knew she didn’t feel the same way about him.   
  
Yes she loved him.   
  
But she doubted that she was _in_ love with him.   
  
Her heart never raced when he talked to her.   
She never tripped hard over her words.   
She didn’t freak out over their physical contact.   
That’s why she was comfortable letting him hug her, allowing cuddles, small kisses against cheeks and foreheads.   
  
“What. Like cookies and hugs?” She asked with a laugh.   
  
Thankfully he chuckled at her joke.   
For a moment, he seemed more relaxed.   
  
“Well...yeah that too.” Chat smiled. “But...eh...I was talking more about...support and comfort and affection.”   
  
Her smile fell. “Y-You don’t get any of those?”   
  
“Not at home no. Not really anyway.” The words came out in a hushed whisper. “Next to going to school and being Chat...you’re the only constant thing in my life right now. Everything else is a mess to be honest.”   
  
Marinette felt a painful sting in her heart.   
  
“These visits to you...they’re….part of the very few moments I can just wind down and take a moment to relax and...you being there for me...listening....I guess you just crawled into my heart at some point. Heh.”   
  
She remained silent.   
Clinging onto every word he said.   
  
The boy let out a few awkward chuckles before continuing. “Oh man. That sounded cheesy.”   
  
“Y-You’re being honest.” Marinette assured him. “I appreciate that.”   
  
“I know you do.”   
  
“Then...the kiss?”   
  
“The kiss?” She could hear a puff of breath being pushed passed his lips. “Well...on top of you already looking so kissable lately.”   
  
“Because that is totally my fault.” She added, rolling her eyes jokingly.   
  
“Totally is.” Chat Noir laughed. “But on top of that...I thought....that a kiss might let me know if I’m actually in love with you or...just really, really care about you as a friend and...if I’m just confusing that with actually being in love, because you are there for me the most right now.”   
  
“Makes sense I guess?”   
  
“But...I also know you like that other guy so...I did decide a while back, to not give in to those tempting lips of yours and just be a good friend and make you happy. But...I guess tonight….I just...really wanted to know if fireworks would go off if I did kiss you.”   
  
“W-What?”    
  
Again he didn’t make much sense to her.   
  
“You know. When you kiss someone you’re actually in love with...fireworks are supposed to go off in your mind right? Music too maybe?”   
  
“Okay. Forget about the romantic movies. You’ve watched too many Disney flicks.” The girl joked.   
  
“Again something Plagg said as well.” Once again he smiled. “You two would probably get along. But eh….it was a stupid idea...now that I’ve said it out loud.”   
  
“It’s not stupid Chat.” She assured him. “But you do know that there’s a likely chance it would feel more platonic than romantic right? The kiss I mean.”   
  
“Because everything else between us feels like that?”   
  
She nodded.   
  
“Probably. Haven’t really thought about it like that. All I know is that I love you in some way Princess.”   
  
Carefully she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.   
  
“And I love you too Chat. You mean a lot to me and I do care about you. But...”   
  
She bit her lip.   
  
This was it.   
Time to let him down gently.   
Move him back to Ladybug and Ladybug can persuade him to go after someone else after a while.   
Then she could go back crushing on Adrien and muster up the courage to talk to him.   
  
“It’s platonic.” He stated before she could continue. “I know. I didn’t expect you to feel anything more towards me than that Princess. I’ll...I’ll make it up to you somehow...for the almost kiss...”   
  
“You can make it up to me by pretending that all didn’t happen and enjoying our movie night.”   
  
“Really? Just like that?”   
  
“Hey. You’re not the only one not wanting to lose a friend and...we all mess up sometimes.” The girl chuckled lightly. “I can’t even count the times I tripped in front of the guy I like, or said something weird to him.”   
  
When she glanced over to him, she noticed the grateful smile on his face.   
A smile that, once again, made her cheeks flare up a scarlet hue.   
  
He was handsome, she knew that.   
She’d never deny that.   
Granted, he wasn’t as good looking as Adrien.   
Yet she wasn’t sure why her bloodstream decided to redirect all of it’s attention to her head, by a simple smile of his.   
  
“Besides.” Marinette continued. “You didn’t really kiss me a-and we talked it over so…no harm done!”   
  
“Right. Right.”   
  
“But...I don’t want you to feel conflicted about your feelings. For me or Ladybug so if you think a kiss would help you clear things out for you….”   
  
By now she had started to ramble.

Words being spoken at a rapid pace.   
  
Internally the girl was cursing herself for suggesting such a thing.   
It was going so well!   
She turned him down and he handled it with grace and they were still friends!   
And even if they were to kiss, what was the point.   
It was going to feel platonic.   
Like all the other kisses they had given each other against cheeks.   
Against foreheads.   
The occasional shoulder.   
  
Perhaps...it was curiosity as well.   
Just to make sure she didn’t have feelings for him too.   
  
“Y-You wouldn’t mind? I mean! Y-You don’t h-have to Mari. It’s probably best we don’t...”   
  
“You said that you thought kissing me would make things sure for you right? And I don’t want to see you so conflicted so if a kiss will help I….” She calmed down a little. “I...I wouldn’t mind it. If it is to help you sort things out.”   
  
“Are you sure?”   
  
She nodded. “One kiss.”   
  
“One kiss.” Chat repeated.   
  
“But don’t get your hopes up kitty. It will feel platonic. Like everything else between us.”   
  
“That’s good. Because if it does I’ll be able to sleep without thinking too much about my conflicted feelings towards you and Ladybug.”   
  
Marinette scooted closer to him and slipped her arms around his waist.   
Turning as well as she could towards him.   
  
In response, he did the same. Leaning in ever so slightly.   
  
“Are you sure?” He asked once again. “I don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want to do. Even...if I gave off that idea earlier.”   
  
“It wasn’t a kiss. You stopped yourself. I don’t hate you for it. We’ve just been over this.” She pouted.   
  
“Right.” Chat sighed.   
  
“So...count down or…” Uncertainty once again filled the tone in her voice.   
  
“How about...I start and...you decide when it should stop?”   
  
The girl nodded and closed her eyes.   
Bracing herself to feel his lips onto hers.   
  
Marinette heard him breath out deeply through his nose.   
She sensed him leaning closer.   
And closer.   
Noses brushing against each other.   
A hand cupping her left cheek.   
  
Then.   
  
For a couple of seconds there was nothing.   
  
Yet she remained still.   
  
Eyes closed.   
  
Focused on his breathing.   
  
She had no doubt he was either gathering enough courage to actually kiss her, or having second thoughts.   
  
Perhaps offering had been enough?   
If he was reluctant to kiss her, then that should speak more words than a kiss itself.   
  
Marinette soon found out that was not the case, as tense, soft lips gently pressed against her own.   
  
He was nervous.   
She could tell.   
  
She wasn’t moving, yet she could feel her heart pounding loudly in her chest.   
The sound it made almost reaching her ears.   
And this time she was certain it wasn’t just the thumping of the music coming from the school that caused that.   
  
He did say she could decide the moment to break off the kiss.   
But...she found herself more willing to test these new waters they had found themselves in.   
Ever so slightly kissing him back.   
  
He relaxed against her touch.   
Deepening the kiss even more, moving against her in an awkward, but not unpleasant manner.   
  
She tried to do the same.   
Not breaking their contact until she felt that she needed a little break.   
  
The girl pulled away.   
Heart still trying to leap out of her chest.   
  
“W-Well?” She breathed softly.   
  
“That...was something.” He whispered.   
  
“Did it help? Are things clearer for you know?”   
  
Chat Noir licked his lips as he nodded.   
She noticed traces of her lipgloss lingering on his lips, shimmering slightly in the light.   
  
It was at that time that she realized that Chat was probably right.   
That the lipgloss could have made her look more kissable.    
Just as much more kissable as he was looking right now.   
  
She had to resist herself not to press her lips back onto his own.   
  
Marinette did wonder if it was really the make-up causing that sudden desire and not the fact that the kiss itself had felt anything but platonic to her.   
Something she found a lot less harder to admit than she expected.   
  
He stood up from the chaise. “I’d better go home Princess. It’s getting late.”   
  
That was not at all true.   
He hadn’t even been there for an hour, but she could clearly see that he needed some space.   
  
“Right. Will you come back later this week?”   
  
Chat Noir nodded. “I will.”   
  
After he had left, Marinette couldn’t do anything but ponder.   
Did she have feelings for Chat?   
Going by his logic, and the kiss, one would say yes.   
Going by her head, it screamed no.   
  
It was at this point where she realized that Chat Noir had dragged her into the same complicated pit of emotional conflict, he had found himself in.

  
And honestly…   
  
She had no idea how to crawl back out of that pit and back onto sturdy ground.   



	6. Gifting spree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the author reflects a little too much of herself onto Adrien. ( Which also is in direct relation to the title of this chapter.)  
> Also coffee + awkwardness + silly made up brand names = friendship?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this one was "I don't know if I should slap you or kiss you."

* * *

 

The smell of coffee lingered in the air.  
It was almost intoxicating.  
Soothing even.

His best friend had called it ‘therapeutic’ before he had dragged him, and to some extend Alya and Marinette as well, to this small café he had found out about the month prior.

It had only took one cup of their mocha-choco-latte-special for Adrien to decide to come back here more often.

Though no number of mocha flavored coffee was enough to currently hide the slight disappointment on his face.

Adrien was so sure this time.  
He had Nathalie squeeze him in his father’s planning for a couple of hours.  
A month in advance at least.

He was so sure this time.

So sure he was going to make it.

They were going to drink coffee and being out in the open, he figured it would push his father to talk more.  
Listen more.  
Spend some time with him.

Something that seemed to be a rare thing recently, he noticed.

Yet here he was.  
In that cozy little café.  
Sipping on his third mocha-choco-whatsitcalled while he waited for his father to show up.

No.

At this point he waited for Nathalie to inform him he wouldn’t be showing up.

He really was a fool for thinking things would go different if he planned it so their schedules would allow it.  
But a fool or not, at least in the long run nobody could say he didn’t try to be a part of his father’s life.  
Or pull him into his life.  
Disappointing results included.

Oh so many disappointing results.

He had become quite numb to it all over the short year his mother had vanished.

His phone buzzed as he sipped his hot drink again.

Adrien only glanced at the device as a message from Nathalie popped up on his screen.

As he expected.

_[ The meeting your father has is running late. He won’t be able to make it Adrien. ]_

_[ I’m sorry.]_

The boy sighed, frowned for a second and took another sip.

_[ Would you like me to reschedule? ]_

_[ I’m afraid the earliest possibility would be around the end of next month. ]_

Nathalie’s follow up texts read.

A bit louder than he had intended, the boy put his glass cup down on the small café table.  
Texting back a quick reply that he didn’t mind the long wait.

What else could he say really?  
It wasn’t like his father was making time for him.

Yet he couldn’t be angry at him.

He understood.

His father had a fashion empire to run.  
And Adrien was old enough to understand that his father's job was the very thing keeping a roof over his own head.  
There was little time for the basic human needs, let alone spending time with a son whom was reaching an age of certain independence anyway.

And the more Adrien had thought about it, the less he was sure that it wasn’t just his mother showering him with affection when he was younger.  
Had his father ever played games with him?  
Pulled him into a hug while he didn’t need one?

Honestly...he couldn’t remember.

It seemed like it only became obvious to him after his mother vanished a year and a half ago.  
Since Nathalie and his bodyguard, whom he had nicknamed ‘The Gorilla’, seemed to take over the task of taking care of him.

 _[ I made sure you have the entire afternoon off today and I’ll discuss the new date with your father. ]_ Was Nathalie’s final reply.

The boy sighed deeply once more, propping his elbow up on the table and letting his head rest in his hand.  
Texting one final reply back to Nathalie herself.

**_[ Okay. Thank you.]_ **

Right after he had press the button to send it, the waitress who had been serving his drinks walked up to his table again.  
The same who had politely asked him, about half an hour ago,if he was waiting for someone when he had ordered his third drink.  
  
Which hadn’t came to a surprise really.  
He would find it curious too to find a young person, drinking away coffee after coffee without looking busy with homework, or reading a book.  
  
“Still no show?” She asked nicely before taking away his empty cup.  
  
He shook his head shortly at her question.  
  
“He’s not going to show up either.”  
  
The waitress gave him a sympathetic look but didn’t press on the matter further.  
  
“Would you like something else?” The young woman offered. “Another drink or perhaps something to eat?”  
  
Adrien thought for a moment.  
He really didn’t feel like leaving right now.  
This place felt...homey.

Warm.  
  
Inviting.

Like a warm blanket.  
  
“Another drink would be nice thank you.”  
  
“More of the same?”  
  
He gave a small nod before she walked away.  
  
Impatiently the boy picked up his phone again.  
Wondering if his best friend was willing urge him to let all his frustration out again.  
Or spend the remainder of his free afternoon with him.  
Perhaps they could play a videogame or just hang out.  
Since he doubted Plagg would appreciate it if he woke him up from his current cat coma, only to hear the same story he had heard about a hundred times already.  
  
Before he could shoot Nino a message however, the sound of two familiar voices reached his ears.  
  
“No way!” Marinette’s voice laughed when she entered the café.  
  
“I’m telling the truth girl.” Alya laughed as well. “My sisters are brutal.”  
  
“Tell me you at least got a picture.”  
  
“Of cour-” Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes fell on him. “Hey it’s Adrien.”  
  
She waved at him before dragging the dark haired girl by the arm to his table.  
  
“Hey.” The boy greeted back. “Didn’t expect to run into anyone familiar today.”  
  
“Neither did we.” she admitted. “Right Marinette?”  
  
The other girl gave a nervous nod.  
The relaxed posture she had when coming had vanished and replaced with the nervous, fidgeting motions he was used to seeing with her.  
  
“So what brings you here?” Alya asked before gently pushing Marinette to take a seat next to him.  
  
“I was waiting for my father. We were supposed to have coffee here and...I don’t know...catch up I guess.”  
  
The girl with the glasses took a seat. Boxing Marinette in between herself and Adrien.“Hey that’s good right! You wanted to spend more time with him didn’t you.”  
  
It really was no secret to anyone who knew him that he wanted to.  
And with Alya’s keen eye for detail, Adrien was pretty sure she figured that out on her own.  
Either that or Nino had ranted ten times as hard to her about the matter than he had opened up to him about it.  
Which in hindsight...wasn’t even fit to be called ranting.  
Usually a show of his frustration and disappointment summed up in ten words or less most of the time.  
  
“I do and...well he had something important to attend to so...I guess there’s always next time?”  
  
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Marinette softly spoke.  
  
Her voice but a mere whisper.  
  
Adrien shrugged slightly as Alya tugged on Marinette’s sleeve to urge her to take a seat.  
Which she did once she realized she was still standing up.  
Though she still seemed nervous in his eyes.  
  
“What brings you two here?”  
  
“We’re going to make a game plan for the charity project the class will be doing this year.” The more relaxed one of the two explained. “Figure out what we’re going to do and how we can spend the budget efficiently.”  
  
“Class rep stuff.” His other classmate added in a mutter.  
  
He nodded in understanding before Alya continued.  
  
“After that we’re going shopping.”  
  
“Sounds fun. You guys really have a busy afternoon planned.”  
  
“What about you Adrien?” She asked with a small smirk on her face. “Any plans for today.”  
  
“Not really. Drowning any disappointment I have in fancy named coffee I guess.”  
  
The look on Alya’s face was the same the waitress had given him.  
Before he could reassure her that is was not that big of a deal as he made it sound, Marinette spoke up.  
  
“That sounds great! Coffee!” Her words were filled with a sense of nervousness and energy. Accompanied by wild hand gestures. “We should get some coffee. I’m going to get us some.”  
  
When Marinette stood up however, it was her friend who pulled her back down in her seat.  
The look of genuine worry never leaving her face.  
  
“Forget I said anything.” He quickly waved off. “It’s not as bad as I made it sound. I’m just a little disappointed my father couldn’t be here. But hey it’s not the first time he hasn’t shown up and I’m really used to it by now and….”  
  
He laughed sheepishly as a small voice in the back of his mind yelled for him to shut up.  
Especially when he noticed that Marinette had joined Alya when it came to giving him sympathetic looks.  
At this point Adrien wished that the dark haired girl had been successful with her earlier attempt at changing the subject.  
If that was what she was trying to do.  
Instead what she said only made him regret even more throwing up that one comment.  
  
“That’s even worse.” Marinette whispered.  
  
His gaze locked onto hers after she spoke.  
In response the blush on her cheeks deepened and she looked away from him.  
  
“I’m sorry!” She hastily apologized.  
  
“It’s okay.” The boy reassured her. “He’s a busy man. I know that. It’s…”  
  
Adrien paused for a bit, swallowing hard before continuing. Staring at his empty cup while he spoke. “It’s just that I’m probably overreacting. Don’t mind me.”  
  
He tried to give the girls the most genuine smile he had, though he was sure the tone in his voice had already contradicted everything he had said just now.  
  
“Hey I’ve got an idea!” Alya suddenly blurted out. “The both of us could really use a third person to join our brainstorm session.”  
  
“You guys want my input?”  
  
The girl nodded. “Of course the final project will be decided through voting, but having someone here who isn’t going to be arranging the finer details may help us out a ton.”  
  
“But only if you want to.” Marinette added.  
  
“And after that, if you want, you could join us on our shopping spree and we could catch a movie afterwards.”  
  
Her friend shot her a shocking glare.  
Blue eyes large and looking frightened after hearing the proposal.  
Alya however ignored the look she received from her.  
  
“I know shopping isn’t really an ideal way for a guy to spend the afternoon, I know Nino hates it, but we don’t need much so we should be done quickly.”  
  
“I actually don’t hate it that much.”  
  
“Good!” Alya exclaimed as she gleefully put her hands together. “So you’re in?”  
  
“Well…” Adrien glanced at Marinette for but a mere moment. The girl looked terrified and anxious and he wasn’t sure why that was.  
  
Perhaps this was the chance he was waiting for.  
The boy did consider her one of his friends, yet for some reason, they hadn’t been spending as much time together as he wanted them too.  
And he wasn’t sure how to improve that seeing how she acted every time he tried to strike up a conversation.  
  
Going shopping with both of them, could help her feel calm enough to have a normal conversation with him.  
She had seen and heard her have one plenty of times after all.  
The nervous stuttering only seemed to be a thing when she addressed him alone.  
For whatever reason that was.  
  
But a whole movie.  
  
No not yet.  
  
Baby steps.  
  
“I do have to be home on time so I’m afraid I can’t go to the movies with you two.”  
  
He heard Marinette sigh in relief.  
  
“But I’d love to join you on your shopping spree.”  
  
“Great! Now how about that coffee! Or tea! I could go for some tea! How about you Alya.” Marinette rambled again while getting up from her seat.  
  
It was clear to him that she wasn’t feeling comfortable around him just yet.  
He hoped that would change the more time they would spend together today.  
He just...had to make clear to her, that if she didn’t want his company, that she should be honest with him.  
The last thing he wanted was to make his friends uncomfortable.  
  
During his friend’s ramble, the waitress had returned and traded his empty cup for a full one.  
The smell of coffee and chocolate washing away negative thoughts for a moment.  
  
“Mari just sit down girl!” Alya laughed and pulled the girl down again before halting the waitress. “Excuse me. May we order?”  
  
“Of course.” Was the waitress’ reply.  
  
As the other girl was busy making to pass down their orders, Adrien, once again, turned his attention to Marinette.  
  
“So...” He carefully started. “What kind of ideas do you guys have for the charity project so far?”  
  
The dark haired girl averted her eyes from him.  
Fidgeting with her fingers as she shyly spoke.  
  
“Not that many. Bake sale. A play.”  
  
He noticed how she kept her words short this time.  
No longer rambling but still clearly feeling uncomfortable.  
  
“A play huh? That sounds like fun.” Adrien gently praised.  
  
“Problem is that we don’t have time to put together a play.” Alya interjected. Pulling out her phone at the same time. “We only have two more weeks.”  
  
“Okay so...how about we turn one of the classrooms into a small café or something? Serve soup and stuff?”  
  
A smile appeared on Marinette’s face as she excitedly nudged her friend’s arm.  
  
“I got the hint girl! Putting it down on the list.” Alya laughed as she typed away on her phone.  
  
“The bake sale seems like a good idea too.” The boy added.  
  
He noticed the girl next to him slightly frown.  
  
“No? Not a good idea?”  
  
“We’re not sure about that one.” She answered. “I heard two other classes are going for a bake sale too.”  
  
“It is the easiest to organize.” Alya added. “Unlike the fashion show Chloé came up with.”  
  
“That wouldn’t be so bad. We could get the entire class involved. Grab something horrendous out of our closets and strut around in it.”  
  
He could picture it now.  
  
Fashion disasters on the runway.  
  
Surely his father would have a heart attack if he saw it.  
  
Not that he expected him to visit the charity event and look around at what their class had accomplished.  
  
“That sounds fun Adrien, but Chloé insisted to have brand name clothing worn on the runway.” She sighed while adjusting her glasses. “No way that’s in our budget.”  
  
“I could make the clothes but...It would take too much time and I doubt we have the money for that too.”  
  
He turned his attention back to Marinette.  
  
She seemed much more relaxed just talking to Alya, he noticed, facing away from him.  
Her soft lips pushed in a pout as her friend suggested that they would model older designs the girl had made.  
  
Brows raised as she countered the argument claiming her older designs ‘wouldn’t be good enough for any runway’.  
  
For a moment, he found himself hypnotised by her expressions.  
The way the light danced over the dark strands of her hair as she moved during her conversation.  
A light, pink, colour tinting her cheeks.  
  
It all seemed so familiar, yet he couldn’t place where he had noticed the same things as well.  
He was pretty sure it wasn’t on Marinette herself.  
  
“Well Adrien?” Alya suddenly asked, snapping him out of his daze.  
  
“Hmmm?” He replied.  
  
“We would like to hear your thoughts.” She elaborated.  
  
“Oh...eh...well...I was thinking how….euhm….”  
  
Honestly he had no idea what the two demanded his opinion on.  
The only thing that had sunk into his mind was how Marinette had this, familiar looking beauty to her.  
  
“I don’t think it would attract enough attention.” Marinette suddenly spoke. Her attention still focused on Alya.  
  
“It wouldn’t? Girl, I don’t think any other class would have thought about a karaoke bar.”  
  
Oh! So that’s what they wanted his opinion on!  
  
“You could put it on the list?” He suggested.  
  
The dark haired girl nodded in agreement and his other classmate typed the idea on her phone before throwing up another idea. “How about we turn the class into a small movie theater? Make money off popcorn AND ticket sales!”  
  
“Several screenings at the same time.” Adrien added. “I’m sure we can use more than one classroom.”  
  
Marinette let out a small, but surprised ‘oh’.  
  
“That’s why we pulled you into this Agreste! You’ve got great ideas!” Alya complimented.  
  
The other girl nodded in agreement before the waitress returned with the girls’ drinks.  
She however did not take a sip from it.  
Or stayed in her seat.  
Standing up, the baker’s daughter muttered something to her friend before she allowed her to leave the booth.  
  
His eyes followed her as she made her way to the restrooms.  
Strutting a strut he was all too familiar with.  
But that couldn’t be!  
Could it?  
Surely it was a mere coincidence that she had the same manner of walking as Ladybug had.  
  
He shook off the thought.  
  
A mere coincidence.  
  
Nothing more.  
  
When the girl had vanished from his sight, he took a small sip from his drink.  
  
“I could hook you two up if you’d like.” Alya said with a smug tone in her voice.  
  
Almost, but not quite, did the sip he took go into the wrong direction.  
  
“W-What?”  
  
A devious smile was curled on the girl’s lips. “I saw you looking at our girl Adrien.”  
  
“What?! N-No! No I wasn’t-”  
  
“You were! You totally were checking her out!”  
  
“I just...think she looks nice today. That’s all!” Shyly he took another sip. Trying to hide his face behind the glass cup.  
  
The devious smile never left Alya’s face. “Right. Right. Nothing wrong with looking at a girl who looks nice right?”  
  
Thankfully she didn’t press the subject any further after that, yet Adrien felt slightly terrified that she had realized he had been staring at the other girl.  
No doubt she would share this information in private with Marinette when she could.  
  
What would happen then?  
  
Would she completely ignore him?  
  
Hate him even?  
  
It was a very ungentlemanly thing to do.  
Something he had only caught himself doing to Ladybug when he was Chat Noir.  
But….that was different.  
He was in love with Ladybug.  
He couldn’t help but admire every tiny detail of her.  
  
He took another sip.  
Trying to shake away his thoughts.  
  
No doubt he would only feel more conflicted the more he thought about it.  
Nevertheless, it didn’t put him into much of a mood to have much more input to the other suggestions that were thrown up after Marinette returned.  
  
Eventually the girls had a good list with potential ideas.  
Cups empty and the bill paid, the three stepped outside.  
  
“So where do you guys need to go?” He curiously asked.  
  
“I need some new shoes and Marinette was looking for some fabric for another project.”  
  
“A fairy-dress for the girl I babysit sometimes.” She muttered softly. “It’s her birthday soon.”  
  
“Oh...eh….Manon right?” He guessed.  
  
Marinette nodded.  
  
“I think the best way to go is to get my shoes first and the fabric last?”  
  
Adrien nodded.  
He honestly didn’t care much for the route they took.  
Marinette however, sighed deeply.  
  
“You okay?” He asked, gently nudging her arms with his arm.  
  
“Oh...eh...yeah I’m fine. It’s just….camera store...I mean! We have to go past the camera store….shoes. To get to the shoe store!”  
  
“O...kay? I didn’t know that would be a problem.”  
  
She sighed again.  
  
“You’ll see.”  
  
The group happily chatted to each other on their short journey.  
Well...mostly Marinette and Alya chatted to each other.  
Sharing gossip, frustrations, talk about school.  
  
Every once in awhile he would speak, make a joke or two to ease up the tension between him and Marinette.  
Things seemed to be going smoothly until they had reached the camera store.  
  
Alya had stopped walking.  
So had Marinette.  
Adrien had to backtrack just a couple of steps once he had noticed the two weren’t walking with him anymore.  
  
Alya almost had her face pressed against the display window.  
Eying an expensive camera model with wanting eyes.  
  
“Soon my pretty. Soon.” She muttered over and over again.  
  
“Is this...a regular thing?” Adrien asked Marinette carefully.  
  
She merely nodded in reply.  
  
“Alya is saving up for that thing.”  
  
“It’s not a thing!” Alya countered. “It’s a Cloudtronic 2000 NX pro!”  
  
“A camera?” He simplified.  
  
“Not just any camera.” Alya fawned.  
  
“Oh, here we go.” The dark haired girl muttered with a large smile on her face.  
  
“It make crystal clear photos and videos. Even in the dark! It can record in high definition sound AND can be hooked up to wifi for instant livestreaming and a battery life of up to forty eight hours of nonstop use!” She squealed. “Imagine how much quality content I can put on my blog with this baby!”  
  
He couldn’t help but be amused. “So eh...for how long have you been saving up for this thing?”  
  
“For over a year now! But I’m getting close! Just eight more months of saving and this beauty will be mine!”  
  
“Unless there will be a better model on the market by the time you have enough money.”  
  
“You know me so well Mari.” Alya laughed.  
  
The boy remained silent as he observed the two friends exchange their banter.  
Not really sure what to say to add anything to the conversation, but it was another clear sign that Marinette was more comfortable talking to Alya than to him.  
  
That aside he made a mental note that the camera was on the top of Alya’s wishlist.  
It would save some pondering on what to get her for her birthday.  
  
“Not to be a stick in the mud.” He suddenly started as the brunette kept fawning over the device. “But I thought you wanted to shop for shoes today too?”  
  
“I changed my mind.” The girl joked. “Just leave me here all day to admire my future baby. You and Marinette can continue shopping.”  
  
Before Adrien could shoot a comment back at her, Marinette had already shouted ‘No’ before literally pushing the girl away from the display window.  
  
Part of him wasn’t sure it was either because she wasn’t keen on waiting around for her best friend, or because she didn’t like the idea of continuing the shopping trip with him as a companion.  
Nevertheless he found himself standing in a small shoe store quickly after Marinette had pushed Alya away from ‘her future baby’.  
The heavy scent of leather danced around him.  
  
He took a seat on one of the small benches in the middle of the store.  
Waiting for the girls to be done with their shoe fitting.  
  
From his experience with the times he had accompanied Chloé, he knew how long such a thing could take.  
Surprising however, was when Marinette joined him on the bench not that long after Alya had pulled her aside to glance over some boots.  
  
He would have expected her to try on a couple of shoes at the very least.  
Even just for fun.  
He was the one being the third wheel after all.  
  
“Hey.” He greeted softly.  
  
Perhaps this would be the perfect opertunity to strike up a conversation with the girl.  
He noticed her cheeks had turned from a soft pink to a faint red.  
Was she….blushing?  
No that couldn’t be.  
Perhaps she wasn’t feeling great.  
  
“Hey.” She greeted back.  
  
“Are you feeling okay? You look a little red.”  
  
She didn’t say anything, but merely bit her lip and nodded.  
Her slender hand reaching up to play with her hair.  
  
“And uncomfortable.” He added before taking a deep sigh. “Am I...making you uncomfortable? If I am you can tell me.”  
  
Bluebell eyes grew large at hearing his implication.  
  
“N-No! No not at all! Uncomfortable I’m not. I MEAN! I’m not. You would never….” She rambled before suddenly going silent.  
  
Despite trying to clearly tell him that she wasn’t uncomfortable, Adrien wasn’t convinced.  
He opened his mouth, wanting to tell her that he would love to talk to her more.  
Be better friends.  
  
Before he could utter a word however, she stood up and rushed out of the store.  
  
“What was that all about?” Alya’s suddenly asked as she approached him.  
  
Clearly having witnessed their short conversation.  
Their short, not at all how he hoped things would turn out, conversation.  
  
“I’m not sure...I tried talking to her but...I think I make her really uncomfortable?” The blonde turned his attention towards his other classmate. “Do you know if she still hates me?”  
  
“Hates you?” She laughed as the words sputtered past her lips. “Why would she hate you?”  
  
Adrien frowned. “The gum incident. Or maybe it’s something else I’ve done?”  
  
He still remembered it well.  
That first real day of school.  
Him trying to help by getting gum off her seat.  
Gum Chloé had put there.  
Only to have Marinette assume he was the one who did that.  
  
“Oh, sweetheart. If Mari hated you, you would know.” She assured him. “And we wouldn’t be hanging out as a group if that was the case.”  
  
He honestly hadn’t thought about that.  
She certainly wasn’t treating him the same as she had done to Chloé.  
And he was sure those two didn’t really get along.  
  
Then why?  
  
Why did she just ran out the store?  
  
Why did she always had this nervous vibe about her whenever he tried to speak to her.  
  
“I want to have a normal conversation with her.” He finally admitted. “And every time I try...she...closes up and talks gibberish and clearly feels uneasy. I want to know why.”  
  
“That….that’s not for me to tell you. But I can tell you it’s nothing personal or anything.”  
  
“Really.” Adrien didn’t sound convinced. “Because with the way she stormed out of here, I would think otherwise.”  
  
“My girl is just trying too hard.” Alya tried to explain.  
  
He had no idea what she meant or how Marinette was trying too hard.  
  
“Look.”She started when she noticed his confused look. “She’s standing outside right now. I can give you two ten minutes to talk things out more. Tell her that you’d like to get to know her better and be friends. She’ll understand.”  
  
A sudden jolt of optimism surged through him.  
Why hadn’t he thought about that sooner.  
He would be able to clear things up more without Alya being the middleman.  
Perhaps he had been too careful in trying to befriend Marinette even further.  
A direct approach might work.  
  
“Okay. Yeah I can do that.” Adrien smiled back at the girl. “Thanks Alya. I’m sorry for….all of this.”  
  
With both hands he gestured wildly to himself.  
Not sure how to describe things other than that he was overthinking things ever since he had been waiting for his father to show up.  
  
A nasty habit, as Plagg had pointed out several times.  
  
“You’ll drive yourself crazy like that someday kid.” He had said.  
  
Not that he could help it.  
Once his thoughts would wander, he tended to think too much.  
About his future.  
About Ladybug.  
About his father….his mother….  
  
“No sweat Adrien. I would be thinking the same things if I were in your shoes.”  
  
She gave him a couple of friendly pats on the back before standing up. “Go talk to her.”  
  
As Alya had said, Marinette was waiting just outside of the store when he exited the building.  
Her back resting against brick. Mumbling to herself.  
He had caught a soft “I can’t do this.” before he decided to get her attention.  
They had ten minutes give or take.  
Which should have been enough to clear some things up and hopefully release some obvious tension between them.  
  
With any luck they would be discussing a day to help each other with homework or play videogames together and just hang out.  
  
“Hey.”  
  
Startled by his greeting she rapidly turned towards him. Her cheeks starting to tint that familiar looking pink.  
  
“H-Hey.”  
  
“Are you alright Marinette?”  
  
She bit her lip and nodded.  
  
“Was it something I said that made you leave so suddenly.”  
  
“N-No. It’s just that it was so stuffy and air! Air! I needed air! Fresh!”  
  
Adrien merely nodded and mouthed a soft ‘oh’.  
  
“Hey...um….can we talk?”

Again she nodded.  
  
“I just wanted you to know that...I’d really like to be better friends with you. We hardly talk or hang out and...if it’s alright with you...I’d really like to change that.”  
  
The girl remained silent and stared at him with big, blue eyes.  
  
“But if you don’t feel comfortable around me, just say so okay.” He swallowed hard. “I’d understand Marinette. Honestly. Not everyone has this….click with someone else and I don’t want to force you into being my friend either.”  
  
“I’d like to get to know you better too.”  
  
For the first time that day, her words flowed past her lips without effort.  
  
“Really?” A large smile crept on his face. “T-That’s great! I mean! Thank you! I mean…”  
  
A soft giggle escaped the girl, which quickly turned into a light laugh.  
Of course...it was weird to thank anyone for such a thing.  
But at this point he was just grateful that she wasn’t pushing him away.  
  
“So? We cool?” He asked once her giggle died down. Mentally smacking himself for channeling his ‘inner Nino’ apparently.  
  
The girl nodded without a second thought.  
  
“Okay cool! So...eh...what are your plans for the weekend?”  
  
A safe question right?  
This was how people made small talk right?  
  
“Designing the dress for Manon. I think.”  
  
He nodded in understanding. “Homework too?”  
  
“Probably. And you?”  
  
“Not sure yet to be honest. Studying and playing videogames maybe?”  
  
“I like videogames.” her voice changing several octaves as she spoke.  
  
Her brief moment of composure gone.  
  
“I know. We teamed up for the Ultimate Mecha Striker tournament remember.” Adrien reminded her. “You were so amazing!”  
  
The girl didn’t reply with words, but merely casted her gaze downward and bit her lower lip.  
  
He could feel the conversation slowly turning awkward again.

“Hey...uhm...if you have the time...maybe we can play some online matches together? Team up again?” 

A bold suggestion he realized after suggesting it. Perhaps he was moving too fast already.  
Then again she wouldn’t be directly sitting next to him, so maybe that would help keep things flowing smooth again.  
  
“Sure!”  
  
“Great! Cool!”  
  
“Cool!” She mimicked.  
  
“Cool.” He softly repeated.  
  
It was at this point the conversation fell quiet again.  
  
“Alya is taking her time.” Marinette suddenly muttered.  
  
“We still have five minutes?”  
  
“What?”  
  
His eyes met her confused look.  
  
“She said it would take her ten minutes to finish up. We still have five. I think.” He quickly explained.  
  
The dark haired girl mouthed a silent ‘oh’ before leaning back against the wall of the store.  
  
Wind gently playing with the loose strands of her hair.  
Sun and shadow playing over the surface of her face.  
Eyes closed as they both waited, her pink lips pushed into the faintest of smiles.  
  
A smile oh so familiar.  
  
Yet he still couldn’t quite figure out where he had seen it before and at the same time the answer was at the tip of his tongue.  
  
“I’m the one making you uncomfortable aren’t I.” She suddenly spoke, her voice piercing the renewed silence between them.  
  
“What? No! I’m sorry if I come off that way I...I just don’t want to mess things up between us.”  
  
Marinette nodded. “Me neither.”  
  
“Sorry if I’m...acting a little...weird...this whole friend thing hasn’t been something I’ve completely mastered yet.”  
  
“You’re not doing anything wrong. I….I...” She sighed deeply before continuing. “I’m just worried.”  
  
Adrien raised a brow. “Worried?”  
  
“You said that you’re probably overreacting with your father not having showed up and all...but...I don’t know...I get the impression that it’s been bothering you ever since you brushed it off at the cafe.”  
  
“Maybe a little. But I shouldn’t complain really.”  
  
“You should.” She countered. “This is like what I’ve told Ch-...a friend of mine a while back. It’s an unhealthy habit to carry frustrations with you around for a long time. It’s like...a timebomb.”  
  
“Heh. That’s what another friend told me too not so long ago.”  
  
His mind wandered to one of the rare nights he had let his cheerful and confident demeanour drop during a patrol run.  
A night where Ladybug had pressed on to tell her the vague details of what was keeping him down.  
She had said the same thing.  
Yet not in the exact same words.  
  
“Then maybe it is true, if two friends say the same thing.”  
  
He felt himself smirk a little as the corners of her lips curled up into a warm smile.  
  
“So...what do you suggest I do to fix this?”  
  
She shrugged lightly. “Write things down? Keep a journal? It helps keeping your thoughts together. And…” Marinette bit her lip again. “Maybe talk to us if you need to. We’ll listen.”  
  
Of course she was referring to Alya, Nino and herself.  
The four of them had become a bit of a friend group the past year.  
If only because Nino and Alya had become really close.  
  
“I don’t want to bother you guys.” Adrien admitted.  
  
“It’s not a bother. It’s what friends do for each other.”  
  
She shot him another warm smile and he had to resist the urge to step forward and hug the everliving daylights out of her.  
  
“Thank you. That means a lot.”  
  
“Just for the record. This doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on you during Ultimate Mecha Striker.” The girl added.  
  
“I wasn’t expecting anything different from the amazing Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” He laughed.  
  
Thankfully she laughed with him.  
All traces of uneasiness dissolved between them.  
For now at least.  
  
“Oh darn!” Alya’s voice suddenly interrupted their laughter as she stepped out of the store. “I missed a good joke didn’t I?”

“It was pun-derful!” Adrien added.

“Oh no! Watch out Marinette! He’s pulling out the big guns!” She joked.  
  
“Big puns you mean.” He joked along.  
  
He was so busy joking back and forth with Alya, that he never noticed Marinette’s pondering gaze towards him, as they walked to their next destination.  
The fabric store.  
A small building, just like the shoe store, yet filled with more natural light than he thought it would be.  
On wooden planks a different variety of fabrics rested.  
All neatly rolled up.  
  
“Hey I’ve got an idea. How about I go get us some smoothies while you guys look for the fabric.” Alya suggested.  
  
Marinette nodded shyly at her best friend.  
  
“Sounds like a plan.” Adrien agreed.  
  
“Strawberry okay with you all?”  
  
Again, nods from the other two.  
  
“I’ll be back in a few okay?”  
  
“Take your time.” He called after her as she walked further down the street. “I didn’t know there was a smoothie shop nearby.”  
  
“It’s not really nearby.” Marinette admitted.  
  
Pushing the door of the store open, he let the other girl enter first with a small bow.“Oh?”  
  
“It’s at least two blocks away.”  
  
“Those must be some really good smoothies if Alya is willing to walk all the way there.”  
  
The two looked at each other, not really needing to say a word.  
Both knowing fully well that Alya had ditched them, even if it was temporarily.  
  
He thought.  
  
He hoped.  
  
What kind of friend would ditch their friends like that!  
  
Unless...she hoped he would be able to get some more alone time with Marinette this way.  
More time to get to know her.  
To lay that important foundation of friendship and get closer to her.  
  
Adrien decided not to voice his suspicion to the other girl.  
  
“So.” He started, walking into the store as well. “What colour are you looking for?”  
  
“Purple.” Was her short answer.  
  
“And the material?”  
  
“I’ll know which one speaks to me when I see it.”  
  
Watching Marinette stroll around the store, feeling and looking at every different shade of purple and pink-ish fabric they had in stock, it made him realize how different she worked from his father.  
  
He didn’t doubt she had already planned out a design, but where his father was always so sure which fabric needed to be used where and for what, Marinette clearly went with what she thought fit best.  
  
Undoubtedly her knowledge might limit her options on what she could use, but he could see her use a lot more different kinds of fabric in one design opposed to just one type with different texture.  
  
Or something.  
  
He honestly didn’t knew all that much about the whole picking and designing process.  
But he found it interesting to watch her do her thing.  
  
Yet he listened patiently as she muttered the reasons why some fabrics would be perfect and others not so much.  
It was at one, dark blue, colored type of silk, that she stopped to stare at intensely.  
  
“Going for blue?”  
  
“What? Oh...Oh no. No. I just...really like this. Some gold embroidery on here and it would make a great evening dress.”  
  
“You should get it then.”  
  
She shook her head.  
  
“It’s too expensive. Besides, I also have my eye on that Jersey Fabric over there and even that is a risk.”  
  
“A risk? How?”  
  
“It’s pretty thick.”  
  
“And very comfortable looking. I’ll be you can make some really snug hoodies or something out of that.”  
  
“My thought exactly. It’s just that...my sewing machine is getting bad and it can’t handle thick fabrics anymore. I’ve been avoiding leather, denim and the like for months now. It’s pretty frustrating.”  
  
“Ah I see.”  
  
“I’ve been saving up for a new one though. So I should be able to replace it in a couple of months. I just hope it doesn’t blow up before that time.” Marinette added a small laugh with that last part.  
  
“Which model are you saving up for?”  
  
“I really wanted to go for a Ornate 2000 SX...but that one is out of my budget range. So I’m settling for a Striker 150 SDC Supreme.”  
  
“I’ve heard the Striker Ultimate is a lot better and not that much more expensive and it’s got a lot more stitching options too.”  
  
“I know and I would go for that but Alya’s birthday is in a couple of months and if I go for the supreme I’ll have enough time to make her a leather jacket.”  
  
“Okay but have you thought about the Stitchworker 204 RT? Does the same as the Ultimate for the same price range as the Supreme.”  
  
“That’s an American model isn’t it?”  
  
“Pretty sure yeah.”  
  
“Do they sell those here?”  
  
Adrien pondered for a moment.  
  
“Probably not but I could double check it for you.”  
  
“You...you know a lot about sewing machines don’t you?” She laughed.  
  
“A little.” He shrugged. “I sometimes help Nathalie search for replacement machines father needs. So a lot of the same models end up in my search results every time I do. I guess they got stuck in my brain somewhere.”  
  
“Like the Supreme?”  
  
He nodded with a small smile. “The Ultimate more so though.”  
  
Again she laughed. “Look at us! Comparing sewing machines as if they were cars!”  
  
“How thread-full of us.” He joked.  
  
His heart seemed to skip a beat as she continued laughing.  
  
Again, he added a mental note that he should give Marinette the fabric she wanted for her birthday.  
Or even the sewing machine she was saving up for.  
  
But...wouldn’t that be a long wait?  
He had to ask Alya when she would be back.  
  
If, she would be back.  
  
“Okay but seriously, if you would be able to pick any model of machine you would like. Which would you pick.”  
  
“Which would you pick?” She asked with a mischievous smile.  
  
“Doesn't matter since I don’t sew, I just look the things up to help out.”  
  
He lost count how many times she had bit on her lower lip today, yet it didn’t seem less mesmerising the more he looked at it.  
  
“Uni 30CH Magnus.”  
  
Adrien let out a low whistle once she had quickly muttered the model name.  
  
“You know your stuff My La- I mean Marinette! Marinette!” Immediately he tensed up. Dropping the relaxed posture he had before. “I’m sorry I have no idea where that came from.”  
  
He did.  
He knew exactly where that came from.  
But he didn’t know why he slipped out the nickname he had for Ladybug, to his classmate.  
  
“I-It’s okay r-really!”  
  
And once again, for at least the third time that day, the two fell back into awkwardness.  
  
Alya eventually made it back to the two.  
Smoothies in hand.  
Yet Adrien had quickly excused himself from the girls, wishing them a fun time watching the movie.  
  
But in all honesty he didn’t want to make things more awkward around Marinette and call her nicknames he had for another.  
Well...nicknames Chat had for another.  
  
Thankfully she didn’t know that.  
But it still felt wrong to use the name he had for his Lady on someone else.  
  
While walking home, he received a text message from Nathalie.  
Jolting him out of his train of thought.  
  
A smile curled up on his face as she told him his father had made plans to have dinner with him that evening.

 

* * *

  
  
Monday came too soon for his taste.  
Still a bit half dazed from waking up at an ungodly hour, no thanks to Plagg demanding cheese at three in the morning, he greeted a very happy Alya with a tired smile.  
  
“Aaaaaddddriiiieeeeeennnn!” She yelled happily as she pulled him into a huge hug.  
  
Thankful for the sudden burst of affection he returned the hug, his smile widening.  
  
“You!” She continued. “You absolute glorious being you!”  
  
“So going by your reaction, you got the thing?”  
  
“Yes! I don’t know why you but thank you!”  
  
Alya tightened the hug for a moment before letting the boy go.  
  
“Well I couldn’t exactly keep a mother and her baby separated.”  
  
“Thank you! Thank you!”  
  
“Really Alya it’s no big deal.”  
  
“It is to me!” She pulled him into another hug.  
  
“Bro!” A familiar voice called out to him.  
  
Yet before he could answer, Nino had ended up joining the hug.  
  
“Happy to see you too Nino.”  
  
“Adrien my man! I don’t know why, but thank you my dude!”  
  
“You’re welcome.” The boy gasped. “Can I breathe now?”  
  
“Oh! Oh of course!” Alya exclaimed, promptly letting Adrien go from her embrace.  
  
Nino wasn’t so keen on letting go however.  
  
“Nino...please...air…”  
  
“Okay, okay.” The boy laughed before letting go of his friend. “I’m just...wow! I don’t even have enough words to thank you man.”  
  
“It’s just some software.”  
  
“Just some software.” Nino snorted. “No my dude. Not just some software. You’ve given me the tools I needed to make art.”  
  
The boy opened up his backpack, rummaged around in it for a second and pulled out a usb drive which he pressed into Adrien’s hands.  
  
“I spend the whole weekend mixing these. These are for you and you’re the first person who gets to listen to them.”  
  
“T-Thank you Nino. You didn’t have to give me anything in return though. I considered the hug payment enough.”  
  
“Speaking of giving things.” Alya noted. “Why did you decide to just send us presents? Especially expensive ones like this thing here.”  
  
She pulled out a brand new camera out of her bag.  
The same camera she had been drooling over just before the weekend.  
  
“Yeah man. I googled the stuff you send me and it wasn’t exactly on sale either.”  
  
“Well I...I…” Adrien was struggling to come up with a good way to start his explanation.  
  
“Adrien, hun. I think I can speak for Nino too when I say that we love you.”  His best friend nodded in conformation. “But you don’t have to buy us these things to get us to like you. We already do.” She continued.  
  
“I know. It’s not that.” The blonde countered. “When we parted ways last week, after you and Marinette took me shopping, Nathalie texted me and I ended up having dinner with father and we got to spend some actual father and son time together.”  
  
“That’s great Adrien!” She happily exclaimed before giving the boy a playful slap on his arm. “I guess he realized how little time he actually spends with you.”  
  
“I’m sure Nathalie had a hand in that too.” Adrien sighed. “But anyway...I was in this super happy daze after that day, also thanks to your advice Alya, I got to have a nice talk with Marinette that day too and well...I was in the mood to spoil my friends after that? So….”  
  
“So you decided to get me the pro software and Alya her camera.” Nino finished.  
  
Again the model sighed shortly but nodded with a happy smile anyway.  
  
“I get an allowance but I never end up spending it anyway. Figured I’d do something nice for my best friends with it instead.”  
  
A heavy hand found it’s way on Adrien’s shoulder, letting him turn his attention to Nino again.  
  
“Dude. This is super nice of you and all but please don’t go crazy with expensive gifts next time.”  
  
“And the next time better be because it’s one of our birthdays and not ‘just because’ alright.” The girl added.  
  
“I’ll try, but no promises.” Adrien laughed.  
  
“YOU!” A familiar voice suddenly boomed.  
  
The laughter immediately died down as he turned his attention in the direction of the voice.  
With a fast pace and an angry scowl on her face, Marinette stomped towards him.  
  
“G-Good morning Marinette.” He greeted with a sheepish smile.  
  
“Don’t ‘good morning’ me Adrien!” She shouted back.  
  
All the progress the two had made prior to the weekend had seemed to vanish.  
He had only seen her this irritated and angry before once and that was because of a misunderstanding between them.  
  
On the bright side.  
She seemed very comfortable talking to him now.  
Even if she was yelling.  
  
“Did I...do something wrong?” He asked her innocently.  
  
Her eyes narrowed, nose scrunched up. “You know what you’ve done.” She hissed.  
  
“Marinette. Calm down sweetheart. I’m sure we can clear things up if you told him why you’re angry at him.”  
Alya gently took hold of her friend’s shoulders, trying to help her calm down her emotions.  
  
“He knows what he’s done.”  
  
“I really...don’t?”  
  
“Oh! Really!” She huffed. “So you’re telling me that, that, THAT THING that’s sitting in my bedroom! With a card, signed by YOU! Wasn’t something you send me?”  
  
“Oh! That!”  
  
“Yes that!” She huffed once again, her angry expression not softening up.  
  
“Mari. Calm down.” Alya tried again. “Why don’t you tell us what he did.”  
  
“What he did! What he did was….ARGH!!!!”  
  
“Very helpful.” Nino muttered.  
  
Adrien could feel his palms getting slightly sweaty.  
Had he messed up this badly?  
All he did was send her a present like he had done for Nino and Alya.  
  
“I don’t know if I should slap you or kiss you!” The dark haired girl exclaimed frustrated, throwing her hands up to him.  
  
She was starting to slightly scare him.  
  
“Kiss! Kiss definitely kiss!” Adrien quickly answered, afraid she would indeed figure that slapping him would be the best option.  
  
Next to him Nino snorted.  
Alya opted to slightly shake her head in amusement and Marinette had traded her outburst of angry emotions for a more shocked and flustered expression.  
  
“I-I don’t want her to slap me okay!” He quickly defended himself as he noticed Nino’s snort had turned into a light snickering.  
  
“Take that thing back.” Marinette suddenly demanded, her voice a lot softer and lower than before.  
  
“No.”  
  
“Please.”  
  
“No.” He answered again.  
  
“Okay, I’m only guessing here but I’m suspecting that Adrien gave you a present too girl?”  
  
The other girl nodded to confirm Alya’s suspicion.  
  
“What did he get you?”  
  
“A. Sewing. Machine.”  
  
“Oh hey! You needed one right!” Her best friend replied. “You kept telling me that you were afraid your old one would catch fire or something. Did he get you the one you were saving up for?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Okay Mari. Not to eh...be a jerk here but...are you mad at my boy because he didn’t give you the machine you wanted?”  
  
“No. No that’s not it Nino.”  
  
Ever so slowly Adrien noticed the anger coming back on her face.  
Nostrils flared.  
Breathing strongly.  
  
“Well...at least I didn’t give you the Uni?” Adrien tried to defend himself.  
  
“Uni?”  
  
“It’s like...the Porsche of sewing machines.” The boy quickly explained to his other friends.  
  
“No you didn’t.” Marinette breathed in a couple of times before continuing. “You gave me an Omega. An Omega Uni LB 1700!”  
  
“Is that...worse?” Alya asked bewildered.  
  
“It’s...It’s what the professionals use.” Marinette tried to explain.  
  
“Uhm...if the Uni is the Porsche of sewing machines, I guess the Omega Uni is the Ferrari?” The model tried to explain, looking briefly at Marinette for confirmation if he was right in his comparison.  
  
“More like a Ferrari with a solid gold paint job! Adrien! What the heck were you thinking! I’m not worth something like that! Take it back!”  
  
She no longer seemed furious.  
Yet her words seemed more pleading than ever.  
At least he understood why she was reacting towards him.  
  
“No.” He replied again.  
  
“Please.”  
  
“No Marinette. I won’t take it back. It’s for you to keep. Consider it….as a way of me supporting you in your ambition to become a designer.”  
  
“I’m not worth something like that.”  
  
Going by her voice, she almost seemed like she was about to cry.  
Carefully he took a step forward and opened up his arms, offering a hug.  
  
“No. You’re not. You’re worth a lot more but there hasn’t been something made yet to reflect how much you’re worth so...I had to do with the current best thing you could use.”  
  
“You’re horrible!”  
  
A couple of tears escaped her, yet a small smile curled on her face.  
  
“As long as you don’t slap me I can live with that.”  
  
Letting out a small laugh through her tears, the girl stepped into his arms and pulled him against her in a hug.  
Eagerly, Adrien returned the gesture, gently touching her shoulder with one hand and laying the other on top of her head.  
  
“You’re not allowed to be so nice.” She muttered against his shirt.  
  
“Says the one constantly making things for her friends.” He commented back.  
  
“He’s got you there girl.” Alya laughed.  
  
“I’d hate to break things up guys, but class is about to start.” Nino commented.  
  
He was swiftly whisked away by Alya however.  
Leaving the two other teens to embrace each other a while longer.  
  
“You’re horrible.” Marinette sighed.  
  
“So you’ve told me.”  
  
“I’m going to get back at you for this.”  
  
Her words weren’t spoken in a menacing tone, and he didn’t feel threatened by them in the slightest, yet he couldn’t help but be surprised.  
Of all the things he expected her to say, this wasn’t one of them.  
  
Pulling away from their embrace slightly, he raised a brow.  
  
“Excuse me?”  
  
“Don’t think you’re getting away with this so easily.” Delicate hands wiped away the happy tears on her cheeks. “I’m not going to accept your gift without giving you some payback.”  
  
“Should I be scared?”  
  
“Very.”  
  
Her broad smile told him otherwise.

 

* * *

  
  
Adrien didn’t expect that her payback would be thrown on his lap the very next day just before class started.  
  
“What’s this?” The boy asked her, eyeing the neatly wrapped package on his lap.  
  
It didn’t feel heavy at all.  
It even felt strangely soft and squishy when he picked it up.  
  
“Payback.” Marinette simply stated. “I made you something.”  
  
“O-oh. That’s because I...Oh Marinette you didn’t have to really.”  
  
“Well too late. I did. And the only thing I ask is for you to wear it the rest of the day. You can throw it out after that if you want.”  
  
“Did you make something horrendous?” Nino chuckled.  
  
“No! No...I could never...not for Adrien at least.” A faint blush tinted her cheeks.  
  
“Now I’m kinda scared of opening this.” Adrien admitted.  
  
“Dude. Just go to the bathroom and put it on. I’m sure it’s fine, it’s the right thing to do anyway.”  
  
“Oh?”  
  
“She made something for you, the least you can do is wear it once.”  
  
“I-It’s fine if you don’t want to.”  
  
“No Marinette! This is your payback plan remember! He has to wear it!” Nino reminded her.  
  
“Fine!” Adrien sighed. “I’ll humor you both. But just for today.”  
  
He then pointed a finger at the girl. “If this ends up with me being the laughing stock of the school today, I demand an apology muffin tomorrow.”  
  
“You won’t be.” She assured him. “But if you come over sometimes we can bake muffins together?”  
  
“That sounds like a nice idea.”  
  
“Nino? Feel free to join us...with Alya...I’m sure we’ll bake too much for two people anyway and the more the merrier right!”  
  
Her eyes almost looked pleading towards his friend, who simply shook his head.  
  
“I’ll just go and change real quick.” Adrien announced, holding up Marinette’s gift for him. “Be right back.”  
  
Once in the boy’s bathroom of the school, he picked out one of the cubicles, closed the door and unwrapped his present.  
His fingers immediately came in contact with soft, thick jersey fabric.  
Bright green stitching holding black fabric together.  
  
It was a hoodie.  
  
She had made him a hoodie!  
  
A very comfortable looking one at that.  
  
Unfolding the piece of clothing, he held it at arm’s length to admire the girl’s handywork.  
A green pawprint was embroidered on the left chest area, the front had a nice and roomy pouch to warm his hands in if he needed to.  
  
And to top it all off, a nice and roomy hood on the back with a bigger embroidered pawprint.  
  
“It’s Chat Noir inspired.” The boy whispered to himself, feeling himself smile brightly.  
  
“Do you think she knows?” A familiar voice suddenly asked him.  
  
Adrien turned his attention towards the little Kwami who had decided to wake up from his hiding spot.  
  
“No! No...I don’t think she does Plagg.”  
  
In one swift movement, he put on the piece of clothing.  
It was a bit roomy, but that only enhanced the comfortable feeling of the entire piece.  
  
“You look like a dork.” The small cat sputtered.  
  
“A dork with extra pocket space for you.”  
  
He opened up the pouch a bit, inviting his Kwami to go inside.  
Reluctantly he did so, curling up into a comfortable position.  
  
“Okay. Yeah. This is pretty nice actually.”  
  
“You can even go into the hood if I have it down.”  
  
“Never take this off.”  
  
Laughing a bit, he pushed the bathroom stall open and pulled up the hood.  
It was then that he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.  
  
She wasn’t lying.  
It wasn’t something that looked horrendous on him, nor did he look like a complete laughing stock either.  
Which began to make him wonder.  
What part of this was actually payback?  
  
She had spend time and effort into making this.  
Adding even little details like the embroidery and the...cat...ears...on the hood.  
  
His smile widened even more.  
  
Crumbling up the paper the article of clothing was wrapped in, he threw it into the nearest trashcan before returning to his friends.  
  
“Marinette!” He exclaimed with open arms.  
  
“Y-Yes.”  
  
He could hear Nino snort faintly as he approached the girl.  
  
“I love this!”  
  
“What?”  
  
“I love it!” He repeated. “It’s so comfy and...and…”  
  
“Dorky.” His friend finished for him.  
  
“Well yeah. But I can pull off dorky.”  
  
“Oh man! You do!” Nino agreed through his laughter.  
  
“But...But...you weren’t supposed to like it.” The dark haired girl pouted.  
  
“Too bad. Because I love it!”  
  
Adrien wrapped his arms around her small body and pulled her in for a hug.  
  
“Y-You’re a fan of Ladybug right?”  
  
“That I am.”  
  
“So...so wouldn’t you have been happier if I made a Ladybug one instead of a Chat Noir one?”  
  
“Probably.”  
  
“I-I’m confused.”  
  
“Your payback plan backfired Mari.” Nino explained.  
  
“Oh.” She quietly answered before finally returning Adrien’s embrace.  
  
“I’m going to wear this all day!” He gleefully exclaimed. “Thank you!”  
  
The boy gave her a tight cuddle before letting go.  
  
While Marinette wasn’t in the position to utter a single word, her smile told him enough.  
  
As far as Adrien knew, the day progressed as normal.  
Plagg quietly sleeping, most likely snuggly, in the pouch of his new favourite clothing piece.  
Lessons being followed as normal and at any given moment Adrien would proudly show off Marinette’s handywork.  
  
It wasn’t until he came back from his lunch break that he noticed that Marinette had another surprise for him.  
As she shyly decided to plop down next to him on the school bench, while he waited for class to start again.  
  
She had traded the grey jacket she usually wore, for a Ladybug themed hoodie herself.  
Black and red well balanced out on the whole thing.  
Strangely enough, Adrien thought it suited her perfectly.  
Even though it was a new look on her. As far as he knew.  
  
“I...I figured that...well….” She started. “Maybe you could use a Ladybug the rest of the day? To keep you company.”  
  
“My Lady. I would be honored to have you in my company for this afternoon.” The boy gave her a slight bow.  
  
Before she could say something back to him, a familiar voice interrupted. “Oh my goodness!”  
  
“Hey Alya.”  
  
“When did you make this girl!” She exclaimed excitedly.  
  
“Yesterday.” The other girl replied. “That new sewing machine works like a dream, so I had time to make two hoodies. Mine is a prototype though.”  
  
“I just got the BEST idea.”  
  
“Oh oh.” Adrien laughed.  
  
“No no! It’s good! It’s for our charity project.”  
  
“Okay, let’s hear it then.”  
  
“We’ll sell a calendar, with photo’s of you wearing that thing.” She pointed at Adrien. “And someone wearing the Ladybug hoodie.”  
  
This suggestion got the other girl excited.  
Ideas running through her head most likely.  
  
“Oh! Maybe I can make some Akuma inspired ones too! For the rest of the class!”  
  
“And our Ladybug and Chat Noir duo can pretend to fight them while I make some great shots!” Alya added.  
  
“And I have to be Chat Noir why exactly.” Adrien laughed.  
  
Though he wouldn’t decline the offer anyway.  
  
“Because you’re the actual model here of course.” Alya stated matter of factly.  
  
“Of course.” The blonde agreed, wrapping an arm around Marinette’s shoulder, pulling her close to him. “I’ll do it if my Lady over here agrees to be my partner in crime fighting.”  
  
“S-Sure.”  
  
“Yay! This is going to be so much fun! I’m going to run this by our other classmates real quick.”  
  
And off she sprinted.  
Leaving the two teens alone on the bench once again.  
  
“Seems you get to be my Ladybug a little longer.” He teased, booping her nose and sticking out his tongue.  
  
“Are you going to call me your Lady until it’s over?” She sighed.  
  
“Absolutely! I have to stay in character after all.”  
  
“In that case.” The girl grinned, putting her finger on his nose and pushing him away. “Time to get serious Chaton. Class is about to start.”  
  
Standing up from the bench, it took a full ten seconds before he had processed what had happened.  
The Marinette that was walking away from him was not the same one who had dumped a present on his lap that morning.  
The way she walked.  
The way she spoke.  
The way she had pushed him away.  
  
All so familiar.  
  
But that couldn’t be it. Could it?  
  
She was simply...getting comfortable around him.  
Which was what he wanted.  
They could become friends this way.  
  
Marinette being Ladybug?  
Now that was probably wishful thinking on his part.  



	7. Camembert diem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's like Marichat...only with Kwami.  
> Also hugs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really a prompt for this one, just a 'what if they found out about each other but because their Kwami messed up and not them' kind of thought.  
> Enjoy!  
> I had fun writing this one.

* * *

 

 

When you’re almost as old as time itself, the whole concept of time seems to just slip away.   
  
Something Plagg noticed and experienced time and time again whenever his chosen would pass away after a, for him seemingly short time.   
Only to fall back into slumber inside the Miraculous.   
  
Waiting for the day that he would have a new chosen to guide.   
  
A chosen that wouldn’t die from his mistakes.   
  
One he could guide better because he couldn’t do the same for another.   
  
Sometimes he could feel the energy from another Kwami as he mused over past experiences.   
Other Miraculous stones that were very close to his own place of slumber.   
No doubt guarded by the current Guardian and Wayzz.   
Gathered in one spot.   
  
As was often the case.   
  
But it was quite rare to sense the energy from his other half.   
  
The light to his dark.   
  
The fortune to his misfortune.   
  
The creation to his destruction.   
  
Even after all those years.   
After all the cat themed heroes he had guided.   
Only on a handful of occasions was he able to meet her outside of the ring.   
  
Plagg had always blamed his powers of bad luck for not being able to spend a lot of time in the direct presence of Tikki.   
  
So when the current Guardian had placed both of their Miraculous next to each other for safe keeping, he had enjoyed a blissful fifty years basking in her indirect presence.   
Knowing very well that when they would wake, they could not be this close.   
  
It had taken him four months into guiding his new chosen, to notice that was not the case.   
Four months of being so close to her without him knowing.   
  
He couldn’t sense her when she wasn’t merged with Ladybug’s earrings after all.    
  
Four months of peeking out of the wrong side of his chosen’s school bag.   
If he decided to even hide in there, and not take a nap in the inside pocket of the boy’s shirt, that is.   
  
Yet here they were.   
  
Staring at each other as they both happened to peek out of bags of their chosen, at the exact. same. time.   
  
Her bright blue eyes twinkled when she noticed him.   
  
His ears twitched ever so slightly.   
The urge to jolt over to her rising.   
  
It had been so long since they had physically seen each other after all.   
He couldn’t remember how long.   
It just felt really. REALLY. long.   
  
A small, red, paw sudden peeked from out of the pink bag, waving shyly at him.   
  
The black Kwami gave her a toothy grin and waved back, quickly followed by a gesture for her to come over to his hiding spot.   
  
As expected, she frowned and shook her head.   
Mouthing a _‘dangerous’_ to him.   
  
Plagg rolled his eyes at the unspoken word.   
  
They could be careful.   
  
Nobody would have to see them.   
  
But if she thought it was to dangerous to come over to him...he would simply have to go over to her instead.   
  
The moment the plan sparked in his brain, Plagg’s happy grin turned into a mischievous one.   
  
“No!” Tikki warned him in a very hushed whisper.   
  
The black cat pouted childishly before lowering himself back into the safety of his hiding place.   
  
Any normal Kwami would have heeded her stern gaze and warning.   
But he wasn’t any normal Kwami.   
  
It takes a certain amount of guts and finesse to deal with misfortune.   
Thus, more often than not, Plagg would tempt his bad luck.   
  
Challenge faith as one would say.   
Mostly just because he could and what was a guy cursed with eternal bad luck supposed to do anyway?   
  
Today, was a good day for just that.   
  
So she would be mad at him.   
  
Big deal!   
  
It wouldn’t be the first time.   
  
There was no way he was going to miss this opportunity again!   
And what harm could a quick visit do really.   
  
Wriggling past a variation of school supplies, he managed to reach the far end of the bag.   
Pressing his small back against the sturdy fabric, Plagg twitched his tail violently in anticipation.   
  
He would pounce on her in surprise!   
  
Then hug her for as long as the day would allow it!   
  
And with any luck, but not likely knowing his lucky streak, he would do the same the next day.   
  
And why wouldn’t he?   
Plagg knew very well there was no certainty that he would be able to spend, however long Adrien would be alive, right next to her.   
Or even close to her.   
  
He had to seize the day!   
  
Camembert diem...or something like that, as humans would say.   
  
The Kwami grinned slightly before launching himself back to the other side of the bag.   
Phasing through all the supplies in the process.    
With rapid speed, he had reached the pink bag behind him.   
  
There was no screech or scream, so he assumed nobody noticed him.   
  
That did not stop Tikki from pouting angrily at him the moment he phased through the bag.   
A faint smell of vanilla and chocolate surrounding him.   
  
“Ugh! How can you stand it in this sweet smell.”   
  
“Plagg!” Tikki hissed in a harsh whisper. “You’re not supposed to be here and keep your voice down!”   
  
“You’re not happy to see me Tikkibug?” Plagg whispered back, doing his best to put as much sadness on his face as he could.   
  
“No. No. Yes of course I’m happy to see you.” She sighed. “But you know it’s dangerous to just come over here. What if someone saw you!”   
  
“Aha!” He exclaimed as softly as he could. “But nobody did.” He grinned.   
  
The red Kwami pouted at his uncaring reply.   
  
“You’re going to get them into trouble?” She warned, referring to their chosen. “What if they find out!”   
  
“If they find out.”   
  
“Plagg.”   
  
The tone in her voice hadn’t gone back to the soft, sweet, tone he was usually used to hearing from her.   
  
“I just wanted a hug Tikki.” The cat whispered. “It’s been what...a hundred years?”   
  
“What? You don’t snuggle up with your chosen during the night anymore? And it’s been fifty.”   
  
“Snuggling is not equal to a hug.” He said in defence. Crossing his tiny arms over each other. “Besides, I want a hug from you! Your hugs are the best.”   
  
She relaxed and sighed deeply.   
  
“Okay.” Another sigh. “One hug, then you have to go back.”   
  
Plagg smiled as he pressed his cheek against her own, wrapping his tail around her as tightly as he could.   
  
“I missed you.” He muttered.   
  
“I missed you too.”   
  
They didn’t let go of each other until the class was almost over and the black Kwami returned to his previous hiding spot.   
  


* * *

  
  
Tikki didn’t expect him to return the following day.   
But he did.   
  
Armed with a tiny biscuit clutched in his paws.   
  
“Back for another hug?”   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“Is that to prevent me from telling you that this is a bad idea?”   
  
“Sorta. It’s a present so you won’t be mad at me for when I come back tomorrow.”   
  
True to his word, Plagg returned the following day.   
And the day after.   
And the day after.   
  
It had come to a point when he wasn’t able to visit her, she missed him.   
  
Though that was something she was never going to admit to the little cat.   
  
His brief visits turned into longer ones the longer he decided to challenge his bad luck.   
Hugs turned into snuggles.   
And snuggles into short naps.   
  
Always waking up in time for an Akuma attack or when one of the two chosen had to go home.   
  
Weeks passed without anyone noticing Plagg sneaking into the pink bag.  
  
  
Until one faithful day....   
  
  
Chloé Burgouis' scream had pierced through the silence in the classroom.   
  
“A rat!” She screeched, standing on her seat to avoid contact with the floor.   
  
An accusing finger pointing at the bag of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.   
  
“A rat just crawled into Marinette’s bag! She’s bringing vermin into the school!”   
  
The accused girl merely frowned and picked up her bag.   
Carefully opening it, just in case there was something in there.   
  
At first glance there was nothing out of the ordinary.   
A few notebooks.   
Some pens.   
  
A little compartment she had made so Tikki would be safe and comfortable amongst her school supplies.   
  
Her Kwami began to gesture wildly the moment her face came into view.   
As did a black, cat-like creature next to Tikki.   
  
For a moment Marinette’s eyes widened.    
  
“There’s nothing in here Chloé. Only my school stuff and…” For but a few seconds, the girl seemed at a loss for words, until her voice rapidly tried to explain the creatures in her bag. “My toy figurines! Which are my lucky charms because we have this test today and I need to pass that, so every little thing helps!”   
  
“But I saw a rat going in your bag!” Chloé turned to the teacher. “I’m not lying!”   
  
“I saw it too Madame Bustier!” Sabrina commented in defence of her best friend.   
  
“There’s nothing in here!” Tikki’s chosen persisted.    
  
“Empty it out!” The blonde girl demanded. “Proof to us that you don’t have a nest of disgusting vermin living in that filthy thing.”   
  
“Chloé. That’s enough.” Their teacher scolded.    
  
It was not enough to make the blonde stop raging.   
Soon enough, she was in a heated discussion with both Marinette and the teacher.   
The rest of the class not daring to come between the three.   
  
It was at that moment Plagg’s chosen walked back into the classroom.   
Having left for a couple of minutes for a short bathroom break.   
  
Surprised he looked at his best friend, whom only shrugged.   
Being as confused as he was.   
  
“Miss Mayor’s daughter over there is seeing things crawling into bags.” Nino whispered to him. “Pretty sure she’s making up stuff to get Marinette worked up.”   
  
Adrien raised an eyebrow as he watched the heated conversation between the three.   
  
“Looks like that worked.”   
  
“Just get your stuff dude. Class is almost done, time to go home. There’s no use in getting mingled into that.”  
  
And indeed, right on cue, the bell rang, signalling the end of the day.   
  
Adrien frowned once again and gave Chloé a sharp stare.   
It wasn’t long until she had caught it and decided to drop her defensive stance. Not wanting get another disapproving look from him.   
  
“Ugh! Whatever. If you don’t want to empty out your bag that’s fine, but don’t blame me when students die of the plague.” She huffed before returning to her seat to get her bag.   
  
As the class slowly drained of students, Marinette took a moment to gather her thoughts and calm herself down.   
  
The day had been especially difficult without Alya next to her.   
Difficult in a ‘school really is boring’ kind of way.  
  
The girl just hoped that she would be cured of her flu before the weekend.   
Though she doubted that would be the case.   
  
Quickly she jogged back to her home.   
Which was a stonethrow away from the school thankfully.   
She wasn't sure how long she would be able to travel and not freak out again over the extra Kwami in her backpack.  
  
“Hello maman! Hello papa!” Marinette cheerfully greeted, giving both of them a short hug.   
  
“Hello Marinette, did you have a good day at school?” Her mother politely asked her.   
  
Marinette gave her a quick nod. “Just fine mom, lots of homework to do so I better get to it!”   
  
Her parents gave her a slight nod before she rushed up to her room.  
  
  
Hastily she put her bag on her desk and opened it, eying Tikki and Plagg whom had been in the middle of a conversation so it seemed.   
  
“Explain.” Marinette demanded.   
  
“Explain what?” The red Kwami nervously asked.   
  
“That!”   
  
“What’s there to explain.” Plagg answered. “I’m a Kwami, just like Tikki.”   
  
The girl pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a sigh.   
  
“I got that much...I want to know how and who and why.”   
  
The black cat curled a smirk on his face as he flew out the bag. “Well since the cat’s out of the bag anyway….”   
  
“Oh my gosh!” The girl gasped realizing the implication Plagg had made. “You’re Chat Noir’s Kwami!”   
  
“Yeah. The puns are all him though I swear. Do you have any cheese by the way?”   
  
“Marinette please calm down.” Tikki urged as she left the safety of the bag as well.   
  
“I’m trying.” Marinette muttered. “Does he know?”   
  
Plagg tilted his head. “That I’m not where I’m supposed to be? No.”   
  
“Oh my gosh!” she repeated.   
  
“Marinette!” Tikki tried again. “It’s okay! Plagg can stay over for the night and you can bring us back to school tomorrow and he’ll sneak back to Chat Noir. Easy!”   
  
“Chloé must have seen you today.” The girl realised out loud.   
  
Suddenly, Marinette felt really tired from all the emotions running through her. Yet she kept pacing back and forth around her room.   
Trying to make sense of the situation.   
Only to be halted when the black cat decided to snuggle on top of her head.   
  
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet.” He started. “Name’s Plagg. Kwami of destruction and misfortune.”   
  
“Oh...eh...I’m Marinette and you’ve already met Tikki.”   
  
“Of course I’ve met her! Tikkibug and I go way back.”   
  
“We...were just catching up today.” Tikki explained. “It’s been so long since we’ve last seen each other.”   
  
“How did you even know Tikki was in my bag?” The girl asked as she carefully plucked the cat from her head.   
  
“I want to say that as a being with magic, it’s because we can sense each other...buuuuuutttt...that’s more something exclusive to the Guardian’s Kwami.” Marinette arched a brow, not sure what the little cat meant. “I saw her peek out of your bag. Not that hard when she’s two steps away.”   
  
“Plagg!” Tikki scolded again. “We have to keep them safe! Don’t go telling everything, they must not know each other’s identities! It’s bad enough we know now.”   
  
As his words echoed through her head, Marinette realised something important. “He’s in my class.” She breathed.   
  
Her Kwami frowned and gave Plagg an angry look.

“Chat Noir is in my class.” She repeated again.   
  
Unwillingly her mind raced through the boys that were in there.   
  
“Now you’ve done it.” Tikki muttered as she noticed her chosen’s eyes widen once more.   
  
“No.” She gasped. “That can’t be.”   
  
Marinette turned her gaze towards the posters of Adrien Agreste that were neatly hung against her wall.   
  
“I thought you said she was oblivious! She’s not supposed to connect the dots so fast!” Plagg said in his defence.    
  
“That’s no reason to give that big of a hint Plagg!” Tikki huffed. “It would have been fine if she’d just keep on staring at Adrien and be non the wiser.”   
  
The moment the Kwami had realised what she had said, her little arms flew to her mouth.   
  
“So it is Adrien. Adrien is Chat.” Marinette whispered.   
  
The black cat nodded in confirmation.   
  
“Adrien is Chat.” She muttered again, letting herself fall onto her desk chair.   
  
“Adrien is Chat.” Tikki repeated. “I’m sorry you had to find out like this Marinette. We tell our chosen to keep their identities a secret to keep them save. And their loved ones.”   
  
Still half dazed the girl nodded.   
  
“As long as you keep that secret to yourselves, there’s no way you two will put anyone in danger.” Plagg reasoned.   
  
Again, the red bug frowned.   
  
“What if Hawkmoth finds out? Chat Noir has been controlled so many times due to some Akuma.”   
  
“Not THAT many times.” He huffed.   
  
“Dark Cupid. Princess Fragrance. Puppeteer.” Marinette summed up. “I...I’ve pulled his tail….thrown him off the roof….”  
  
“And he always lands on his feet! Like any of my chosen!”   
  
“I guess we should discuss this all further with Adrien. That is...if you want him to know that you’re Ladybug.”   
  
“It...would be more fair. I just...can not tell him now.” The girl muttered.   
  
“You would keep him more safe if you didn’t.” Tikki argued.   
  
“But it would be unfair to him if you didn’t either. Like you said. You know how badly he wants to know who you are behind the mask.”   
  
Marinette gave a small nod to Plagg. “I had a suspicion.”   
  
“It’s up to you Marinette. I know you will do the right thing.”   
  
And with that, Tikki dragged the other Kwami away.   
Leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.

 

* * *

  
  
The first thing Marinette noticed that next morning, was that Adrien looked tired.   
Distressed.   
And obviously on edge.   
  
“Dude. You okay?”   
  
She could overhear Nino ask him.   
  
“Y-Yes. No...I mean.” A deep sigh escaped the boy. “I lost something important and I spend all night looking for it.”   
  
“Did you find it?”   
  
“No.”   
  
His friend gently patted his back. “I’m sure it’ll show up somewhere. Where did you think you lost it.”   
  
“At home? I think. Maybe even on the way home. I had it yesterday morning for sure!”   
  
“Was it black?” Marinette found herself suddenly asking him.   
  
Adrien blinked a couple of times.   
  
“Y-Yeah.”   
  
“With green?”   
  
The boy nodded.   
  
“I think I might know where it is.”   
  
“You do!” He exclaimed happily. “Wait...you...do…?”   
  
The happy smile that had graced his lips for a moment, suddenly dropped as all color drained from his face.   
  
“Purrrhaps.” The girl teased.   
  
Her attempt as a cat-pun was all the confirmation he needed to hear, as he wasted no time grabbing her hand and pulling the girl away somewhere.   
  
“W-What the heck are you doing man!”   
  
“Go to class Nino!”   
  
She had no idea where he was leading her.   
Not until he stopped in front of the utility closet.   
One that was always open and filled to the brim with cleaning supplies.   
  
“You know don’t you.” He muttered as he shoved the girl inside the small space before moving inside next to her and closing the door.   
  
Leaving only a dim light to illuminate them both.   
  
“That you’re Chat Noir?” She replied. “I do. Thanks to your little kitty.”   
  
Adrien groaned in frustration.   
  
“How did you even find him?” The boy asked, running a hand through his golden locks.   
A tired look on his face.   
  
“Remember the “rat” Chloé saw going into my bag yesterday?”   
  
Marinette made sure to make quotation marks with her fingers when she spoke the word ‘rat’.   
  
“Nino told me a little-” He suddenly stopped talking and let out a heavy sigh once again. “I...I think I get where you’re going with this.”   
  
Another frustrated sigh filled the narrow closet space.   
He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath.   
Marinette could faintly make out a mutter or two combined with his Kwami’s name.  
  
“Are you okay?”   
  
Carefully she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.   
  
“Yeah...I think so. I’m so sorry if he caused any trouble.”   
  
“He didn’t.” She assured him. “He surprised me more than anything and I was freaking out a lot when he told me he snuck from your bag into mine.”   
  
“Marinette.”   
  
“Yes?”   
  
“I...I hope I can trust you with this secret. With my other identity.”   
  
“Of course you can.”   
  
The boy nodded. “Good. Thank you.”   
  
She smiled sweetly at him. “W-What are friends for. B-Besides it’s helps. Me too. Talking to you I mean. It’s a lot easier knowing you’re a pun spewing dork saving the city all the time.”   
  
Realizing what she had said, she quickly apologized. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to call you a dork!”   
  
Unexpectedly he laughed. “No. No you’re right. I’m a dork. Which is also a secret to everyone but my closest friends.”   
  
“Well that secret is safe with me too Mister Agreste.”   
  
“I’ll be forever grateful for that Miss Dupain-Cheng.”   
  
A short burst of laughter from the two echoed between in the small space.   
  
“Can I ask you for one favor though?” Adrien suddenly asked.   
  
Marinette nodded.   
  
“Don’t tell Ladybug you know about my...you know.”   
  
“Why? Doesn’t she know?”   
  
“Ladybug is very determined to keep our identities safe, so our loved ones are safe. And I get that. I really do. But I have no idea how she’ll react if she knows another civilian accidentally found out about me.”   
  
“It wasn’t even your fault.”   
  
“I can’t go blaming my Kwami for everything either. Being Chat Noir is my responsibility and that includes keeping an eye on Plagg.”   
  
Again she nodded. “Quick question. What would you do if she found out that you’re her partner and didn’t tell you?”   
  
“Oh...wow that’s...that’s something I haven’t thought about really.” He scratched the back of his neck. “If it were me knowing about her identity, I would tell her. I trust her enough for that and I would work twice as hard to keep anyone close to her safe.”   
  
At that moment, the bell rang.   
Signalling the start of class.   
  
“We’re late.” Marinette whispered.   
  
“We are.”   
  
“Should we…?” She pointed at the door, not even finishing her sentence.   
  
“No. I..I think we need to talk more about this. Get everything out in the open before continuing with our day.”   
  
“So we’re skipping?”   
  
“You have no idea how many classes I’ve missed because of an Akuma.” He laughed. “One more can’t hurt.”   
  
“For you! I’m failing chemistry enough as it is!”   
  
“I’ll tutor you if you want? It’s the least I can do in return.”   
  
“You don’t have to give me anything in return Adrien.”   
  
“Marinette. Please. Just...let us talk about this a little longer. We’ll walk into class late together then. I just…” He made some vague gestures with his hands. “I just want to know for sure that you understand how important it is to keep this a secret and how much in danger you can get if Hawkmoth does find out.”   
  
She raised an eyebrow.   
  
“I can take care of myself, if that’s what you’re worried about.  


“No..No.” He sighed again before grabbing both of her arms with two hands. “I have full faith that you’re able to defend yourself. However...Hawkmoth is dangerous. If he controls you and gets this information out of you...not only will my loved ones be in danger, but yours might be too.”   
  
“I understand.”   
  
There was no doubt in her voice, no fear.   
She didn’t seem to think he was joking either.   
  
“Good. Good. I’ll...I’ll do my best to protect you if it ever comes to that point. Alright.”   
  
Again Marinette nodded. “You never answered my question though.”   
  
“What I would do if Ladybug found out who I was and didn’t tell me?”   
  
“Yes, that one.”   
  
“Well...I...I would probably be angry with her...maybe. But she’s Ladybug and I doubt I would stay mad at her for long. She always has a good reason for doing what she does and even still she’s my partner and I trust her to make the right decision when it comes to these sort of things.”   
  
“You...think very highly of her don’t you.”   
  
“Yeah. She’s amazing.”   
  
“She’s lucky to have you as her partner.”   
  
“I’m lucky to have her too.”   
  
“So not everything about Chat Noir is coated in bad luck huh?” She laughed.    
  
“I guess not.” He replied with a grin as he raised his shoulders. “I’m sorry but...can I have Plagg back?”   
  
“Oh! Sure! Yeah...maybe?”   
  
“Maybe?”   
  
“Well...I’m not sure if they’re sleeping and he seems to really hate being woken up if they’re snuggling together.”   
  
“I...I have no idea what you’re talking about to be honest.”   
  
“Can...Can I tell you a secret too Adrien?”  
  
“If you trust me in keeping your secret a secret. Then sure.”   
  
“I do. I trust you a lot.”   
  
Marinette opened up her purse and in the dim light of the closet, two Kwami were neatly curled up next to each other.   
Backs resting against the pink satin lining.   
Softly breathing as they slept.   
  
“You have a Kwami.”   
  
“Her name is Tikki.”   
  
“She has black spots.” Adrien whispered. “And she’s red.”   
  
Marinette merely smilled.   
  
His voice started to sound a little shaky once he realised what she was telling him. “Y-You’re...My Lady.”   
  
“I am.” Marinette’s smile widened. “Hello Chaton.”   
  
“I should have realized sooner.”   
  
“Oh?” The girl asked amused.   
  
“The pigtails. The eyes...oh man those eyes!”   
  
“Do you want to sit down?”   
  
“I...I want to hug you. Can I hug you?”   
  
“Uhm...eh...okay?”   
  
She wasn’t sure why he wanted to hug her, but Marinette figured this could be his way of dealing with the information he had just gotten.   
Which was a whole lot better than how she had handled it.   
Opting to scream into a pillow for a good five minutes after Tikki and Plagg had left her alone.   
  
His embrace was firm and warm and easy to melt into.   
A bright blush spreading quickly across her cheeks.   
Thankfully, something he couldn’t see.   
  
Adrien buried his face in the crook of her neck, leading their bodies into a very light sway.   
  
“You okay?”   
  
“Yes and no.” Was his short reply. “I’m...kinda freaking out on the inside. How are you not freaking out?”   
  
“Oh, I did! Yesterday. For a good while too.”   
  
Her answer made him lightly chuckle.   
  
“Did it feel like a dream then too?”   
  
“A dream?”   
  
“It almost feels too good to be true Marinette. That you trust me...as your partner...enough to let me know your identity. Even after you’ve discovered mine.” His embrace slightly tightened. “I’m afraid that I’m going to wake up at any moment now and things are back to how they were.”   
  
A small smirk curled on her lips. Yet he couldn’t see it. “It almost sounds like you’re happy now that we’re in more danger.”   
  
“‘Probably’ in more danger.” He corrected before pulling away from the embrace, leaving his arms wrapped around her waist. “But I don’t think it’s nothing we won’t be able to handle.”   
  
“You sound so sure.” She chuckled.    
  
“Because I know we can take on the world together Bugaboo.”   
  
Hearing the familiar nickname, the girl pouted.   
  
“Stop calling me that!”   
  
“Bug-a-boo.” Adrien teased.    
  
“No! I am trusting you with my biggest secret and this is my thanks?”   
  
“Let me make it up to you.” He chuckled. “I’ll take the heat for us being late in class.”   
  
“How about you never call me ‘Bugaboo’ again and we share the burden.”   
  
“Awww. But it’s such a cute nickname!”  
  
“Ugh! No wonder your Kwami has nicknames for mine. You’re a bad influence on him.”   
  
“It’s the other way around actually.” Adrien laughed.   
  
“What am I ever going to do with you Chat.”   
  
Marinette shook her head, but her broad smile never left her face.   
  
“Hug some more? I could go for another hug.”   
  
“We’re so irresponsible today.” She sighed.   
  
“That we are.” He agreed before pulling her into another embrace.

 

* * *

  
  
Inside Marinette’s small bag, Plagg couldn’t help but snicker slightly as he had overheard most of the conversation.   
  
“See Tikkibug! I told you it wasn’t a bad idea to let them know. Things are going to work out this time. I just know it!”   
  
Tikki however snuggled closer to him and let out an annoying groan. “Go back to sleep.” She muttered lazily.   
  
Smirking to himself, the black cat obliged and went back to sleep.   
He was certain that, with Tikki’s and his own help, those two kids would stay together forever.    
Or at least a good eighty years or so.   
Which meant eighty years of snuggles, cuddles and naps with his other half.   
  
Camembert diem indeed.


	8. A first time for everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are hugs, smiles, teasing and a sudden urge to punch whoever Chat Noir's father is.  
> Also Disneyland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written as a response to **ssilverstreak** on Tumblr, whom made a post wanting the following:
> 
>  
> 
> **  
> **  
> _"I suddenly have a mighty need for a platonic Ladynoir fic where Ladybug finds out just how badly socialized her Kitty is and how few regular experiences he’s actually had, so they meet up outside the suits with like scarves covering their lower faces and go do normal teen stuff and Marinette is just so happy to see her Kitty getting to be a normal teen and he’s just so childishly excited and exuberant and he opens up more about his home life and holy crap has she never wanted to punch someone as much as she wants to punch whoever Chat’s dad is. Just… A fic with them bonding and getting to be normal teens."_  
>   
> 
> So credit to the setup of this one goes to them!
> 
> I wanted to see that too so I tried to write it.
> 
>  
> 
> **EDIT: Also check out this adorable fanart to this chapter by Zirio!!! http://art-of-zirio.tumblr.com/post/174708877387/a-pair-of-goofy-kids-out-on-adventures-in**
> 
> * * *

“You’re kidding me!” 

  
Ladybug’s mouth practically dropped open wide when he shook his head.   
Not a glimmer of mischievousness in his eyes, or even a smirk on his lips.   
  
He wasn’t kidding.   
  
That much she could tell.   
  
“How is that even possible?! It’s like...right there!” Her arms gestured wildly towards the distance.   
  
“I know. I just have never been there. Or any amusement park really.”    
  
“Not even once when you were little.”    
  
“I would have remembered it if that was the case.” He smiled patiently. “Honestly, before I became Chat Noir, I hardly got the chance to leave the house.”    
  
She gave her partner a look that was both a mixture of disbelief and shock.    
It was right then and there she decided that needed to change.   
  
“We’re going next weekend.”    
  
“What?”    
  
“Does Saturday work for you?”    
  
“Woah, woah. Back up a little Bug.” Chat Noir replied in surprise. “You’re suggesting we go…”    
  
His Lady nodded and shot him a huge smile. “Yep.”    
  
“Seriously?”    
  
“Absolutely.”    
  
“But our identities.” He suddenly felt a smirk creep on his face. “Does that mean you’re finally willing to tell me what your real name is?”    
  
“What? No!”    
  
“Oh.”    
  
His smirk was quickly replaced by a look of disappointment.   
  
“But we can’t go wearing our masks either.”   
  
“So...disguises?”    
  
Ladybug nodded. “I have a pair of huge sunglasses that covers almost half of my face. That works like a mask right?”    
  
“I can get me one of those too.” He nodded a hint of excitement in his voice. “I suppose we shouldn’t wear what we normally would wear either huh.”    
  
“That’s a good idea. But I don’t want us to miss each other when we meet up so I’ll be wearing something red with black dots anyway.”    
  
“Black leather jacket for me.”   
  
“I think that might work.”   
  
“We’ll make it work.” Chat Noir nodded again. “So...Saturday?”   
  
“Saturday.” She confirmed.   
  
She noticed how he shifted a little on the ledge he was sitting on.   
An excited look on his face matching the energy in his voice.   
  
“Do you think we could get some ice cream when we’re there?”    
  
“Ice cream will be just the start Chaton.” She smiled. “We’re going to Disneyland of all places! You have to think bigger than just getting ice cream.”   


 

* * *

  
  
As Marinette bought the subway tickets needed for the day, part of her wondered if it was a smart idea to leave the city for a couple of hours.   
What if an Akuma attacked!   
It would take a while before they would be back in time to stop it.   
  
Then again.   
  
They both deserved a break and Chat had seemed extremely excited at the prospect of even visiting the park.   
If they didn’t go because of their hero duties, it would no doubt break her heart seeing him be disappointed.   
  
No.   
  
It was worth the risk.   
She had stopped doing a lot of things because she was anxious there would be an Akuma right there ruining her day.   
  
Going shopping.   
  
Visiting family outside of the city.   
  
Summer vacation.   
  
Oh God.   
  
She had no idea how to deal with Akuma during Summer vacation.   
Could she even go on vacation?   
  
Probably not.   
  
Hawkmoth didn’t exactly took their schedules into account when planning his evil-doing.   
  
Even Tikki had encouraged her to relax for a day and not worry so much.   
Especially since she did her best to not look like her regular self at all.   
  
A red dress with black polkadots gently swaying over her knees with every movement.   
Her dark hair tied up in a bun.   
Wearing a jacket she hadn’t worn in a good year.   
Shoes that were brand new.   
And to top it all off the most hideous oversized pair of sunglasses she had ever owned, resting on the bridge of her nose.   
  
But they did the job nicely and covered the majority of her face.   
  
With a sigh, she moved away from the vending machine and walked towards the entrance of the subway station.   
Waiting for her partner to show up.   
  
“Ah My dear Lady!” A voice suddenly called.   
  
Marinette turned around to come eye to eye with a blonde boy.   
His hair having a, somewhat, wild look to it.    
Like he didn’t even bother combing it when waking up.   
  
Black leather jacket, dark blue jeans, white shirt and a pair of large, dark sunglasses.   
  
“Hey Chaton.” She smiled.   
  
“Oh thank heavens it IS you.” He reached out to her, arms wide open. Ready to give her a hug.   
Which she happily accepted.   
  
“I wasn’t sure if it really was you.” He laughed as she wrapped her arms around his waist.   
  
“Then I did a good job disguising myself.”   
  
“I wouldn’t even recognise you if you hadn’t told me what you would be wearing.” Her partner tapped against his sunglasses. “Of course these were a dead giveaway too. But the lack of pigtails threw me off.”    
  
Marinette pouted slightly. “What? Don’t you like this then?” She asked jokingly.   
  
“Bug. You look amazing no matter how you wear your hair.”   
  
“Such a safe answer.”   
  
“I know.”   
  
Both gave each other a smile before she began speaking again.   
  
“Are you ready to go?”   
  
“Absolutely!” Her partner exclaimed enthusiastically. “I’ve been watching Disney movies all week to get into the mood!”   
  
“That’s good.” She smiled. “Any of those that are your favourite?”    
  
“Tangled for sure.” He answered without hesitating. “And yours?”   
  
So went the conversation between them during the trip to the park.   
Filled with jokes, laughs and small talk.   
Questions that weren’t too personal were asked and answered.   
And Marinette had learned a couple of things about her partner by the time they had arrived at their final destination.   
  
His first actual birthday party had lasted for a mere hour due to an Akuma.   
  
He lived alone with his father.   
  
He loved being a hero because it would get him out of the house.   
  
He also had never been on a rollercoaster.   
  
Something she was determined to scrap of her ‘things Chat had never done and we’re going to fix’ list.

 

* * *

  
  
“So. Here we are!”    
  
With wide arms she gestured to the entrance of the park.   
Music softly playing and creating a happy-go-lucky atmosphere, which she didn’t doubt helped to create that large childlike smile plastered on his face at the moment.   
  
She could only imagine that that would be the same face any child would have when experiencing their first trip to the park.   
Or their first Christmas.   
  
It was enough to take away all doubt she had about going on the trip.   
  
“I can’t believe it.”   
  
“Believe it!”   
  
“Thank you.”   
  
“For what?” She asked. “Dragging you here? Chaton. This is nothing!”   
  
“No...No. This is big. For me.” She noticed his voice trembling a little. “You have no idea how many times I asked my parents to go here when I was little. But they were always too busy...and one time...a friend of mine invited me...but my father didn’t let me go because he didn’t trust my friend and now...I get to be here with my most favourite person ever!”   
  
For the second time that day, he pulled her into a hug.   
  
“Thank you Ladybug.”   
  
Gently she returned the embrace and patted his back softly.   
  
“It’s okay Chat. ‘Come on. We’re burning daylight standing here.”   
  
Happily he let go of the girl, the joyful grin never leaving his face.   
She couldn’t even remember when she had ever seen him this...happy...excited.   
Of course them being off duty for now probably helped.   
  
Still.   
  
Marinette could feel a sense of pride as they made their way through the entrance of the park.   
It was her idea after all that caused him to be so happy.   
  
“Where should we go first?” He asked anxiously as he looked at the park map over her shoulder.   
  
“We should go to the calmer rides first and work our way up to the coasters. Since you’ve never been in one before.”   
  
“Do you want to watch the parade too?”   
  
He wrapped his arms around her waist as he let his chin rest on her shoulder.   
It felt warm and comforting and she had no desire to push him off.   
  
“Do you want to watch the parade?” The girl asked back with a smile.   
  
“Absolutely!”   
  
“Then we’ll watch the parade.”   
  
Together they quickly made a plan on what they would be spending the day on and how to navigate the park the best.   
  
Where they would stop for lunch and what shows they were going to watch.   
  
With every new planned addition to their day out, she noticed Chat getting more and more excited.   
It was then and there that she decided to try and keep that smile on his face for the rest of the day.   
  
There was something endearing about seeing him this happy.   
Genuinely happy.   
Like he was a little kid again.   
  
“This is the best day of my life.” He exclaimed without a single doubt coating his words.   
  
Marinette shoved the remainder of her fries in his direction. “Shouldn’t your wedding day be the best day of your life?” She joked.   
  
“I don’t think that would be able to top this.” Chat answered. “Unless you would be my bride of course.”   
  
“Because?”   
  
“Because you’re half of what makes this day so great!” A smirk on his face formed as he started to eat from her leftovers.   
  
“Do they even feed you where you live?” She suddenly wondered out loud.   
  
“Of course they do! It’s just that the last time I had fries it was still winter.”   
  
“Half a year ago?”  
  
“At least.” He snorted. “And even then I got peer pressured into getting some.”   
  
“That’s the best kind of peer pressure.”   
  
Her partner nodded. “They’ll probably never tell me straight to my face, but my friends try to look out for me from time to time.”   
  
This got her curious. “How so?”   
  
He shrugged “Dragging me to the movies or just somewhere to hang out. I know it sounds...normal. But I didn’t usually get to do those things much before..well you know.”   
  
“What did…” She swallowed hard. “What else didn’t you get to do? What else do you want to experience for the first time.”   
  
“Why do you want to know? Making a list?” He joked.   
  
“Something like that.” The disguised hero muttered.   
  
“Hmmm…” He looked away from her, munching on another fry before giving an answer. “A slumber party. I’ve never been to one of those. Or staying up all night.”   
  
“Staying up all night during a slumber party?”    
  
“Preferably with that combination yes.” He laughed. “I want to...ride a bike.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Ride a bike. I’ve never learned to ride on one.”   
  
“How? It’s the first thing you learn after walking.”   
  
Again he shrugged. “Never had to. I was always driven somewhere.”   
  
“Okay. Mentally noted. What else?”   
  
“Make my own meal.”   
  
She arched a brow. “Anything specific?”   
  
He shook his head. “Maybe a sandwich, to start off easy. Those...are easy to make right. They look easy. But what would I know I’ve never made one myself.”   
  
By now she started to feel sorry for her partner.   
  
“Oh my gosh Chat! Please tell me you’re pulling my leg here.”   
  
“I know. It sounds weird.” The happy smile he had been wearing all day turned into a sad one. “Since those are things people our age get to do all the time. But my father is very protective of me. I’m lucky I get to go to a public school these days or...tie my own shoes.”   
  
“You’ve been living under a rock.”   
  
“It’s not that bad.”   
  
“And your father has been keeping you there.”   
  
“No! No he...he loves me. He’s just overprotective of me since mom….” Her partner sighed sadly. “And I try to help him move on too...but…sometimes...most of the times he’s...not really….but he means well....”   
  
He couldn’t find the right words to explain his current situation. So he just stopped explaining all together at one point.   
Looking away from her, breathing slightly heavier.   
Struggling to keep his emotions in check.   
  
But she had heard enough to understand that his father wasn’t...the greatest.   
  
“Chat.”   
  
“Sorry.” His breath hitched. “This really isn’t the best place to talk about this sort of thing is it. Besides...I’m kinda killing our good vibes aren’t I.”   
  
“Nonsense.” She assured him. “It’s good to talk things out...I just...had no idea you had so...so…”   
  
“Little freedom.”   
  
“That’s one way to describe it.” She muttered. “Hey. Remind me to punch your father in the face if I ever meet him. He sounds like he could use a good punch in the face.” Marinette added with a joking tone laced on every word she spoke.   
  
That was all it needed to bring back that genuine smile on his face.   
Accompanied by equally genuine laughter.   
  
“I’ll let you punch him My Lady, but only if he truly deserves it.”   
  
“Deal. No take backs and I’m going to teach you how to make a sandwich next week.”   
  
“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Chat smiled. “Do you know what else I’ve never done before.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Kiss you.”   
  
She briefly snorted before bursting out into laughter.   
  
“Let’s put it on that list.”   
  
“Really?” The tone in his voice became hopeful.   
  
“Sure.” She told him. “Waaaaaay at the bottom.”   
  
“But it’s on there! No changing it now My Lady! I’ll go through a hundred things I’ve never done before to get a kiss from you!”   
  
“In that case I’ll make sure to make it a thousand.” She joked.   
  
“Well if you’re being so mean, I have no choice but to steal all your fries.”   
  
“It’s not stealing because I shoved them your way anyway.” She cheekily stuck out her tongue at him. “So there.”   
  
“Fine. Then...I say where we’re going next.” The boy pouted, shoving another fry in his mouth.   
  
“Sounds fair. But no roller coasters for at least an hour! For obvious reasons.”   
  
“Obviously.” Chat Noir replied with a nod. “Let’s head over to Adventureland next.”

 

* * *

  
  
By the time the sun began to set, Marinette couldn’t feel her legs or her feet anymore from all the walking she had done throughout the day.   
In one hand she was carrying a plastic bag with souvenirs from the park.   
All of them gifted to her by her partner, much to her protest.   
  
Claiming that he wanted to thank her this way for taking him out for the day.   
  
She had tried to argue that there was no need since he had paid for their lunch and the entree tickets.   
Again, she had protested when he did.   
But he had been persistent about showering her with little trinkets from the gift shops.    
  
Claiming he couldn’t buy any for himself anyway because his father would find out that he had been where he wasn’t supposed to be, if a Goofy plush was sitting somewhere in his room.   
  
Glancing up to him, she could still see him wearing a very contented and happy smile on his face as they waited for their subway back to the city.   
Making all the steps she had taken today more than worth it.   
Marinette was already making plans to figure out how to cross off several other things from his ‘never done this normal thing before’ list.   
Well...her list.   
But it was all done for his sake.   
  
“I had fun today.” His soft voice suddenly broke her train of thought. “Thanks again for taking me here My Lady.”   
  
“No problem.” She smiled. “We should come here again sometime soon.”   
  
The boy seemed to gleam at her suggestion. “I’d like that.”   
  
The girl was about to say something when she heard a phone ring right next to her.   
Coming from somewhere on her partner.   
  
The change in his mood suddenly shifted as he noticed who was calling him.   
She heard him sigh deeply, just once, before answering the call.   
  
“Hello father.”   
  
His smile was gone in an instant.   
  
“I should be home in a couple of hours.”   
  
As was the contented look on his face   
  
“No...No….at the euh….library. Doing research for an English project.”   
  
In fact, it seemed like all the happiness he had gained during their visit to the park, had drained from him in just a few seconds.   
  
“What? Right now? I can’t leave right now father.”   
  
All her hard work. Gone.   
  
“Because I’m not at the school library, but the one across town.”   
  
Marinette made a mental note to really punch his father in the face if she were to ever meet him. Even if he didn’t deserve it right at that moment.   
  
“Two hours at most.”   
  
He frowned ever so slightly, clearly getting irritated with his father.   
  
“Yes father. I will take extra piano lessons to make up for it.”   
  
Eventually he hung up with another sigh.   
  
“Hey.” Marinette slightly nudged his arm. “I hope I didn’t get you into trouble by dragging you here.”   
  
He shook his head, trying to smile at her again.   
One much more forced.   
  
“Don’t worry about it Bug.”   
  
She wasn’t entirely convinced.   
  
“Apparently my father found out I skipped my piano lessons. It wouldn’t be the first time so don’t worry.” He assure her once more. “I can handle it.”   
  
“Alright then. If you’re sure.”   
  
He nodded. “I am sure.”   
  
A short moment of silence fell between them before she started speaking again.   
  
“It’s just….” Marinette had difficulty finding the right words. “You seemed so happy today and now….”   
  
“Oh! Oh, no no. I am happy really!” He gently took hold of her shoulder. “This has been the most fun and amazing day I’ve had in a long time and it means so much to me that you’re willing to spend time with me outside of...well...when we normally meet.”   
  
“We should have done it sooner.” She admitted. Trying to keep his mind off his father's call.   
  
“Well we’ve done it now and I won’t mind doing this sort of thing more often...that is...if that’s okay with you?”   
  
“Way ahead of you.” The girl smirked. “I’m already making plans on spending our next day together. How does learning how to ride a bike and having a picnic sound?”   
  
His genuine smile returned and she once again felt pride in knowing that she was the one that put that smile on his face.   
  



	9. Fragments of Illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bedridden, Adrien never expected Ladybug of all people, to drop in and ask to use his shower, of all things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The summary probably makes this sound better than it is. XD  
> But this collection lacked some cute Ladrien, so here we go.
> 
> The prompt for this one is: That mask suits you well, though I prefer the real you.
> 
> * * *

He was imagining things.  
  
He was sure of it.   
  
With both an heavy dose of ibuprofen, some kind of other medicine, and raging heat going through his body, what else could it have been but an illusion.   
  
There would be no way that Ladybug would just casually drop in.   
Or tap on his window, as was the case now.   
Not without a good reason anyway.   
And he wasn’t in danger, as far as he knew.   
  
He furrowed his brows, not sure if he should listen to the illusion, signalling for him to open the window, or go back to sleep.   
Illusion or not, Adrien found himself sluggishly making his way to her, opening the window.   
  
“Thank you.” She sighed before dropping in his room.   
  
A strange smell hit his nose. Something that vaguely reminded him of summer days that were too hot and water that wasn’t nearly as clean as it should be.   
  
“I’m sorry for dropping in like this.” The illusion of Ladybug continued. “There was an Akuma and he threw this stinky sludge at me and the Miraculous cure got me clean, but I still smell badly and if I go home like this my parents will notice something is up and I wasn’t sure where to go but then I remembered that you have a bathroom connected to your room and we’re not entirely strangers to each other and what I’m trying to ask is...can I use your shower?”   
  
The illusion had rambled so much, it was hard for him to follow her completely and perfectly.   
  
His voice sounded raw when he finally answered. “Oh. Euhm. Yeah. Yeah sure.”   
  
“Over there right.” She pointed towards the right wall and he nodded in response.   
  
“Thank you.”   
  
“I...wasn’t aware there was an Akuma today?”   
  
The unsure tone in his voice made her stop in her tracks.   
Her hand resting on the surface of the sleek door hiding his private bathroom.   
  
“Well...it wasn’t a big one. Even with Chat Noir not around I was able to handle it. There was just no way avoiding getting dirty this time.” The illusion of Ladybug laughed.   
  
“Why...wasn’t Chat Noir there?”   
  
“I...told him to get some rest yesterday. He clearly wasn’t feeling well.”

What she told him sounded familiar.

Like he was hearing something he should have known already.  
  
It took a few seconds before he realized why that was.   
  
He was Chat Noir wasn’t he?   
  
He had that fever yesterday too didn’t he?   
Pushing his own body past what he could do at that point.   
Only for Ladybug to notice the fever after their patrol had barely started.   
  
She had begged him to go home and get some rest.   
  
And who was he to go against his Lady’s wishes.   
  
“Oh. I see.” Adrien muttered.   
  
“You’re sick too aren’t you?”   
  
“You can tell?”   
  
The illusion nodded slightly with a look of concern on her face.   
  
“I’ll be out of your hair soon.” She assured him. “Ten minutes at most.”   
  
“Take your time.”   
  
Ladybug gave him another nod before she slipped into the other room.   
  
Just as before she dropped in on him, there was nothing to hear but silence.   
Only the sound of his own breathing.   
  
He shouldn’t be too surprised.   
  
She was an illusion after all.   
  
Gone as quickly as she had appeared.   
That’s how it worked with illusions wasn’t it?   
  
Just like the times where he thought he had seen his mother somewhere in the crowd.   
Only to blink twice and she was either gone or the head of blonde hair he had spotted didn’t belong to her.   
  
Sluggishly he made his way back to his bed and let his tired body fall onto the soft blanket.   
A cold breeze from the open window making its way into his room. Cooling a bit of his exposed skin.   
  
It felt nice.   
  
Refreshing.   
  
The sound of water hitting stone adding to the calm state he found himself in.   
  
It was a welcome distraction from his heavy breathing and burning body.   
  
He should have opened up the window a lot sooner, he realized.   
  
And then to think, he was feeling just ever so slightly better, all thanks to the illusion of Ladybug.   
That cool breeze wouldn’t have entered his room if he hadn’t imagined her tapping on his window.   
  
With a moan he pushed his body into a more comfortable position.   
His back pressed against the mattress, one of his legs finding its way under the blankets as the other dangled over the edge of the bed.   
  
Eyes closed.   
  
Focusing on the sound of the water.   
  
It must be raining outside.   
  
It sounded a little like rain.   
  
What else could it be?   
  
It wasn’t like the love of his life was actually taking a shower in HIS bathroom.

No way.

Ladybug, the real one, would be too busy saving the city.  
Or doing whatever it is she would do when she wasn’t wearing the mask.   
  
Maybe, if he was able to fully fall asleep again, she would return and he could practice confessing his love to her.   
She would respond how he hoped she would.   
  
Like in every scenario of confession that had gone through his head ever since he realized his feelings for her.   
  
Perhaps the illusion would blush this time.   
  
Or kiss him.   
  
Maybe she would gently turn him down.   
  
Or run away.  
  
  
His eyes snapped open the moment he noticed the door of his bathroom sliding open again.   
  
Out stepped the illusion.   
  
Hair wet against the side of her face, followed by a thin blanket of steam making its way into his own room.   
  
She had a big fluffy towel clutched in her hands and used it to dry her damp strands.   
  
“Thank you.” She sighed contently. “I really needed that.”   
  
“No problem.” Adrien croaked, eyelids half closed. “I hope you were able to find everything you needed in there.”   
  
The girl nodded as she made her way towards him.   
  
“Easily.” Ladybug assured him before taking place on the edge of the bed, easily within his reach.   
  
He could reach out and touch her.   
  
But...why bother?   
  
She wasn’t real. Why ruin this good dream he was having thanks to the medicine and the fever.   
  
It almost felt real.   
  
He could faintly smell his shower gel and shampoo on her.   
  
“I’ve never seen you with your hair down before.” Adrien suddenly commented.   
  
She looked surprised at hearing that.   
  
“Oh..well...I couldn’t put my pigtails back in because my hair's still wet and I don’t want to use your comb without your permission so...yeah….” The girl rambled quickly. “I was hoping I could stay here...I mean! Keep you company? Until my hair dries a bit more?”   
  
He smiled in response and nodded slightly.   
  
“You look pretty with your hair down.”   
  
If his previous words didn’t cause her to be taken aback, the sudden compliment obviously did just that.   
The skin of the illusion turned a bright red and Adrien imagined he was probably wearing the same color on his own cheeks.   
  
“T-Thanks.” She stuttered.   
  
“So pretty.” He repeated with a sigh. “Always so pretty.”   
  
She didn’t reply, merely let out a sound he wasn’t able to figure out what it was.   
Something between a moan and a shriek, if he had to describe it.   
  
“Hey. I’ve got a question.”   
  
His voice started to sound slightly slurred as fatigue and the full effect of the medicine started to take over.   
  
“S-Sure. What is it?”   
  
“I love you.”   
  
“W-What?”   
  
Oh!   
So this was how this illusion was going to handle this scenario.   
  
“I love you so much.”   
  
“I...I...that...wasn’t a question!” She blurted out. Face flustered and tinted brightly red.   
  
“Oh! Right.” Adrien blinked a couple of times, frowning slightly at the not-real girl sitting on his bed. “I suppose I need more practice before I can properly tell the real you.”   
  
“The real me?” She asked confused.   
  
He merely nodded in response. “What do you mean by ‘the real me’ exactly?” She wanted to know.   
  
“Listen.” Adrien’s muttered. “I have to admit that for an illusion, that mask really suits you well, though I prefer the real you. The ‘not a fever dream’ you.”

The girl, the illusion, wasn’t answering or shooting a sassy comment back, like he expected she would.  
Merely blinking, cheeks still red, mouth gasping like a fish on land.   
  
“I-I-I..” She started after a few moments of sillence. “I’m not….what?”   
  
He blinked a couple of times, already partially forgetting what he had said to earn such a reaction.   
  
“You’re not real.” He started to explain. “You’re just an illusion. An imagination. It feels unreal, having you here.”   
  
“Why do you think that?”   
  
Adrien let out a chuckle at her question. “Why?” He repeated. “Because there’s no way you would just casually swing by.”   
  
“W-Well I told you. I needed the shower to make sure my parents don’t suspect anything.”   
  
“A dream.” He muttered softly, eyes half liden. “It has to be.”   
  
“I’m not.” Ladybug assured him. “I honestly needed a shower.”   
  
The tone in her voice had shifted dramatically at his third attempt at explaining the illusion that she was just an illusion.   
From a shy, stuttering mess, to being slightly annoyed by his implications.   
A tone he was all too familiar with.   
  
“It’s okay.” The boy once again spoke softly. “I happens all the time when I take those.”   
  
He attempted to nod towards his bed stand. An clock, his phone, and a small brown pill bottle sitting on it.   
  
“It’s the first time you’re here though. When I’m still awake.” Adrien thought for a moment. “Am I still awake?”   
  
“Y-Yes you are.” The illusion assured him, eyeing the small bottle he had pointed out.   
  
She no longer seemed mildly annoyed at him.   
  
More curious as her gaze was focused on the medicine.   
  
“What kind of fever medicine makes you see things?” She asked out loud.   
  
“One with a long name.” He replied, stifling a yawn. “Father gives them to me whenever I have a fever.”   
  
The illusion stood up from her position on his bed, taking one step closer to him.   
Leaning forward and taking a look at the medicine bottle.   
  
She was so close.   
  
Wet hair gently swaying when she reached over him to get his medicine.   
  
So close.   
  
He could just reach out and….oh...too late.   
  
She had already stood back up, typing something into her yoyo.   
  
“It’s a sleeping pill.” She eventually said to him. “How many did you take?”   
  
Adrien furrowed his brows once more as he pondered until he found the answer to his question.   
It was getting harder to focus.   
  
No doubt he would be out like a light any moment now.   
  
“Three? I think.”   
  
She let out a short hum before setting the bottle back down.   
  
“Hey. Can I tell you a secret?”   
  
Her attention was pulled away from the gadget in her hands.   
  
“Is it that you love me?” She asked flatly. “Because I’m not convinced that it isn’t those pills talking.”   
  
“Pills can’t talk.” He smirked in response. Proud of his comeback. Or was it more a joke? He couldn't tell.  
  
“No. No I already told you I love you." He paused and frowned slightly. "I think.”   
  
Adrien took a deep breath.  
Should he tell her or not?  
  
Doubt washed over him. But only for a mere moment.  
  
Since he wasn’t pulled into slumber just yet, it couldn’t hurt to tell the illusion that he was her partner.   
Even if it his words weren’t more than a mere mutter at this point.   
  
“I’m Chat Noir.”

She snorted loudly. “Of course you are.”  
  
“I am.”   
  
Ladybug tried to hide her laughter. Her words bearing a mocking tone as she gently patted his leg. “Okay I believe you Chatton.”   
  
Weird.   
  
It almost felt like he was able to feel her touch.   
  
But that couldn’t be.   
  
He must be still imagining things that weren’t even there.   
  
“Really?”   
  
“I do.” Again mocking doubt coated her words. “I do very much believe that those sleeping pills are making you think you’re my partner.”   
  
“So you don’t believe me.”   
  
“No Adrien. Trust me. It’s the fever and those pills making you think that. You said so yourself that it makes you see things.”   
  
“Well...I do trust you.” The boy muttered sleepily. “So if you say so.”   
  
A gentle hand moved to his face to brush a strand to the side.   
  
“Get some rest okay. You’ll feel better after getting some sleep.”   
  
“You’ll be gone when I fall asleep.”   
  
“I will.” She nodded. “People to protect. Akuma’s to defeat.”   
  
Sleepily the boy nodded, closing his eyes and letting himself be drifted off into a comatose state of slumber.   
  
He couldn’t remember much before he blacked out completely.   
But he could faintly feel something soft pressed against his warm cheeks.   
The softest of footsteps reaching his ears.   
A softly muttered ‘Thank you’ somewhere above him.   
  
Then nothing.   
Only numbness accompanied by dreams.   
  
As expected, she was gone the next time he opened his eyes. 


	10. Take things slow **

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien wants to take Marinette out for a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No prompt for this one except that it's a prequel for 'this is how we communicate'.  
> Enjoy!

Murky weather.  
A light drizzle falling from the sky..  
Another Akuma defeated right before lunch time.  
Journalists firing questions at both of them rapidly, while their Miraculous beeped.  
Counting down the limited time they had before transforming back.  
  
A typical day for the two heroes of Paris.  
  
“I do apologize, but we really need to be going.” Ladybug told the reporters politely, backing away from the small group of people.  
  
Some of them having become a familiar face after all this time.  
  
Behind her, she could hear the distinctive footsteps of her partner already moving away from her.  
  
And sure enough, she could make out his form bouncing over the nearest rooftop, the moment she turned around to take her leave.  
  
She didn’t really care that much where he was going, yet she found herself following him either way.  
Swinging through the air with her yo-yo, as she normally would do.

It had to be a coincidence that he was going into the same direction she needed to go.  
She doubted he even knew she was right behind him.  
  
Her earrings gave another beep.  
  
Not much time left.  
  
Bluebell eyes scanned her surroundings quickly as she let herself drop down.  
Not a living soul in sight.  
  
Thankfully.  
  
Not that anyone sane would dare to come out during a Akuma attack.  
  
Most people knew better by now.  
  
Still her gaze fell on a narrow, dark, alleyway.  
It would be a perfect spot to hide in and let the remaining few seconds run out without anyone seeing her.  
  
Gracefully she landed on the damp sidewalk with a very soft thud.  
Slipping quickly into the safety of the shadowy alley.  
  
One final beep.  
A pink glow washing over her.  
Leaving the girl beneath the mask standing in the place Ladybug once stood.  
  
Anxiously Marinette peeked out into the streets.  
  
It didn’t seem like anyone had noticed her or her detransformation.  
  
“M-Marinette?” A familiar voice suddenly called out to her.  
  
The girl turned away from the streets, only to come face to face with Chat Noir a little bit deeper into the alleyway.  
He was looking at her with wide eyes.  
  
Immediately a strangling feeling had wrapped around her stomach.  
Making her feel most uncomfortable and a tiny bit queasy.  
  
Had he seen her?  
  
“It was you. It was you all along.”  
  
He had.  
  
She felt her body freeze up and her eyes going wider.  
  
What was she supposed to say?  
  
Much time to think about a way to convince him she wasn’t Ladybug, even though she was, wasn’t given to her.  
The moment he took a step forward, his ring beeped loudly a green glow moving over his body. Revealing a very familiar looking boy whom’s photo was on her wall and whom she had sighed dreamily too very often.  
  
If Marinette was unable to move before, she surely wasn’t able to move now.  
  
“It was you!” He grinned as he closed the distance between them.  
  
Still she couldn’t move.  
  
Even though every inch of her body told her to scream. Run. Yell. Do anything besides just standing there.  
  
Strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, as the boy pulled her into a warm hug.  
  
“I’m so glad it’s you.” He whispered softly into her ear.  
  
His words barely registered.  
She still couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.  
  
“I’m sorry Adrien, but we don’t have time for this.”  
  
A different voice said. Tikki’s voice, she now noticed.  
  
“She’s right kiddo. We have a shoot to get too before your old man notices you’re not where you were supposed to be AND you need to get me some cheese!”  
  
Marinette wasn’t familiar where this fourth person’s...or just...voice suddenly came from, but she couldn’t think about that right now.  
  
His arms were still locked around her.  
  
Her brain still unable to think as a million things went through her head at the same time.  
  
“Hey.” He pulled back, green orbs looking as her worryingly. One hand cupping her face gently. His thumb ever so caringly stroking her skin. “Are you okay? You’re trembling.”  
  
Marinette could feel her mouth move at his question, yet no sound came out.  
  
He frowned. “Marinette?”  
  
“I’ll look after her.” her Kwami assured her. “You need to go before anyone gets suspicious!”  
  
“But--”  
  
“Let’s go Adrien!” The other voice said.  
  
“Alright, alright. No need to shout Plagg.” Once again he turned to her, moving his hand from her cheek to her shoulder. “I’ll call you later to talk alright Bugaboo?”  
  
He moved away from her.  
Taking away the warmth that he had embraced her with.  
  
“Marinette?” Tikki softly called out the moment Adrien was out of view. “Are you alright.”  
  
The girl let out a shuddering sigh. Her body still slightly shaking.  
  
“W-What just happened?”  
  
“He saw.” The Kwami calmly explained. “He saw everything. And so did you.”  
  
“I’m dreaming.”  
  
The tiny creature softly patted the girl’s head.  
  
“I’m afraid not. It surprised all of us. I don’t think he did this on purpose. He looked really surprised too.”  
  
“D-Did he?”  
  
The girl tried to dig into her memory. Yet what happened a mere minute ago already seemed like a blurry event that could have happened easily years ago.  
  
“Marinette.” Tikki once again called out. “Maybe it’s better that we go home for now.”  
  
“Adrien is Chat.” The girl whispered. “Adrien is Chat. Chat is Adrien.”  
  
“Come on. Let’s go home.” The Kwami once again pressed on. “You need time to process this and you two can talk things over later.”  
  
“Right. R-Right. Home. Must get home.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Adrien wasn’t sure what made him happier.  
The fact that the love of his life ended up being one of his best friends, or that he accidentally found out her civilian identity and that she now knew his own.  
  
Or perhaps it was because she hadn’t yelled at him when it happened.  
  
In fact, she hadn’t responded at all like he expected she would.  
  
He had expected her to yell, scream, run into his arms with glee, blush maybe.  
But standing there like a fragile deer caught in some headlights...  
  
No that was not one of the scenarios that had played in his head ever since he had fallen for her.  
  
Maybe they could talk things out.  
  
Right after school ended.  
  
Find a quiet place somewhere and just talk about what happened.  
  
Clarify to her that it really was an accident that he had seen her detransform.  
  
It wasn’t his fault that he forgot that he wasn’t supposed to go to school after all.  
  
It wasn’t his fault that the alley provided an amazing cover for someone dressed in all black.  
  
He wasn’t even aware she had been so close behind him to begin with.  
When he returned from his photo shoot however, the empty space next to Alya was the first thing he noticed.  
  
Shouldn’t she have been back by now?  
  
Especially since it was just after their lunch break.  
  
All the other kids in his class were there. Laughing and talking among themselves until their teacher would show up.  
  
“Hey.” He called to the girl’s best friend. “Where’s Marinette?”  
  
“She called in sick for the rest of the day. Said she wasn’t feeling well this morning.”  
  
Adrien frowned upon hearing that.  
  
Sick? She didn’t seem sick when he had left her behind.  
  
But...it made sense.  
  
Perhaps she wanted to talk things over with her Kwami first before speaking to him again?  
What happened between them wasn’t just a simple thing after all.  
There were lives of their loved ones to take into account.  
  
Lives that could possibly be in more danger.

She had made it clear to him more than once that keeping their true identities hidden was because of that exact reason.  
  
Adrien didn’t doubt that she wanted to have a plan and a backup plan and a backup-backup plan ready before even moving forward.  
Like she had ready just in case an Akuma got really close to their Miraculous.  
  
He needed to give her that time.  
And check in on her at the end of the day.  
Because honestly, there was no reason not to involve him. He was going through much of the same she was going through.  
  
And if she really was ill, he wanted to be there for her either way.  
  
The boy nodded shortly before throwing up a suggestion to Alya. “If she has any homework, I could bring it over after school if you’d like.”  
  
Her eyes widened.  
Almost carrying a mischievous look in them.  
The sly smile that curled on her lips didn’t help either.  
  
“I know Mari would appreciate that.”  
  
“Oh...eh...I’m sure she will. I just hope she doesn’t have anything serious. Do you know if it’s serious? Or maybe just the flu or a stomach ache or something like that?”  
  
Next to him he could hear Nino snort slightly. “Dude. Since when are you so concerned about Marinette?”  
  
Adrien fell silent for a moment.  
  
“Since...forever I guess?” He finally answered unsurely.  
  
The other boy slightly shook his head.  
  
“You make no sense buddy.”  
  
“Sounds like you have a crush on her.” Alya teased.  
  
“What! No!” He lied, cheeks coloring a bright red. “No it’s not like that. I...I’m just worried because she’s my friend.”  
  
“I’m your friend. You’ve never been that worried about me.”  
  
He glared at Nino with a pout, feeling his skin glowing even harder.  
  
“That’s different.” He argued. “Y-You’re not...you’re not….”  
  
The moment he fell silent, Nino and Alya both had a large smirk on their faces.  
  
“I’m not Marinette right? I get it dude.”  
  
He could feel Plagg snicker against his chest.  
  
It was good to know that it wasn’t only his best friend and his girlfriend finding joy in teasing him.  
  
Adrien sighed. “Okay. Fine. I think I might like her. Happy now?”  
  
The girl behind him gave a soft squeal of delight hearing that and the boy next to him gave him a couple of approving pats on his shoulder.  
  
“Man I knew it! You should ask her out.”  
  
His eyes widened at Nino’s proposal.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Ask her out.” The Ladyblogger clarified. “Take her to the movies. Get some dinner. Ice cream. Something. Anything!”  
  
“I...I can’t.”  
  
“Of course you can! Just walk up to her and say ‘Hey Marinette do you have any plans for this weekend. If not wanna go to the movies with me?’.” He shrugged after trying his best to do an impersonation of his friend. “Or something like that.”  
  
“We could always ask Ladybug to lock you up in the zoo’s panther exhibit. It worked for us.” She joked, pointing back and forth between her and Nino.  
  
Adrien shook his head. “I can’t. Not now.”  
  
“Your old man?” The boy next to him guessed.  
  
He gave a solemn nod the moment Madame Mendelieve walked into the classroom, ready to start the lesson.  
  
Of course that wasn’t entirely true.  
Though he wouldn’t doubt his father would very much mind him dating anyone, it wasn’t like he couldn’t get away with it.  
Probably.  
  
No. They needed to sort things out.  
  
He needed to sort things out.  
  
She didn’t even love him back. Not the way he loved her anyway.  
As far as she had let him know.  
  
“Just ask her.” Alya whispered. “She’s not going to turn you down Adrien.”  


* * *

  
  
Marinette groaned into her pillow.  
  
She still felt awful. But not because she was sick, because that was far from the case.  
Even though she still had this nauseating pit in her stomach ever since the "reveal ™ " between them had happened.  
  
What was she supposed to do?  
Tell Master Fu?  
  
Make backup plans?  
  
What would be the best way to keep her loved ones safe?  
  
Should they pretend like nothing had happened between them?  
  
But...how could they.  
  
She felt lost.  
Confused.  
And most of all overwhelmed.  
  
Chat and Adrien were the same person.  
The love of her life and one of her closest friends were the same.  
  
Yet for some reason, her mind couldn’t see them as the same person.  
They acted so different.  
  
Then again, she didn’t act completely like Ladybug during the times she was ‘normal’ either.  
  
Next to her she could hear Tikki sigh peacefully in her sleep.  
  
The little Kwami had suggested that she had a good heart to heart talk with Chat...Adrien...to sort things out.  
Make plans.  
Get them both in sync outside of the masks as well as with the masks.  
  
But how could she do that, when she had such a hard time talking to Adrien in the first place?  
  
A soft knock on the trap door to her room, pulled her out of her racing thoughts.  
  
It sounded different from when her parents would knock on the wooden door.  
  
Softer.  
  
Then it couldn’t be Alya either. She always knocked incredibly loud whenever she visited.  
  
“Yes?” She called out. Indicating that whomever was at her stairs could enter.  
  
What she didn’t expect was to see familiar face, with familiar green eyes and blonde hair stepping into her room.  
In his hands a tray rested with a couple of buns and two bowls.  
Steam rising up from them.  
  
“Hey Marinette.” Adrien shyly greeted.  
  
The girl shot up from the safety of her blanket cocoon. Staring at the boy with wide eyes.  
  
“C-Chat! I mean Adrien! W-What are you here doing. I mean! Doing here!”  
  
He merely shot her a patient smile before walking towards her desk.  
  
“I came here to bring your homework.” He started. “A-And maybe talk about what happened this morning?”  
  
Once the tray had hit the surface of the desk, the spoons resting in the bowls slightly rattled against the porcelain.  
  
“But then I figured you might need some rest first and we would probably end up talking about it soon anyway. But your mother asked me to bring some soup up and before I could leave she poured a bowl for me and...yeah…”  
  
Nervously his hand scratched the back of his neck as he turned away his gaze and ending his sudden ramble.  
  
“O-Oh.” Was all she could mutter, yet she could feel herself relax slightly. “T-Thank you.”  
  
Adrien gave a slight nod.  
  
“I...I should probably go right? Let you get some rest.”  
  
“Please stay.”  
  
Marinette could feel her breath stop for a moment after she realized what she had just said.  
Yet she found herself repeating her plead.  
  
“Please stay. I..I want to talk...about...y’know.”  
  
“Are you sure?”  
  
“No. But...what happened isn’t some small thing Chat. I mean Adrien! Sorry!”  
  
“It’s alright Marinette. I get it My Lady. You’re...we’re not used to this yet.” Adrien gestured between the both of them with a hand.  
  
“And that’s what I’m afraid of.” The girl admitted, throwing the pink and black blankets to the side and stepping out of her bed.  
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Tikki slowly waking up from her nap.  
  
“I’m afraid I’ll slip up and call you Chat at school. I’m afraid to put you and your father in more danger if I do make that mistake. Or even my own parents.”  
  
Bare feet made a soft tapping sound at each step she took down the short stairs.  
  
“Or because of how we act around each other.” She continued.  
  
“Act around each other?”  
  
“Like how we do when we’re Ladybug and Chat Noir.” She clarified with a slight frown of worry. “The flirting. The bantering. The teamwork. We never...even talk that much as...just us.”  
  
“It’s not like you haven’t tried talking to me.” Adrien reminded her. “It had just been...short conversations.”  
  
Marinette’s frown turned from worried to slightly annoyed.  
Knowing very well that she hadn’t been able to even talk a full sentence to the boy before.  
And he knew it as well.  
But that was what love did to a person. Right?  
  
“I’m a bumbling mess around you.” She bluntly fired back.  
  
“It’s not that bad. So you’re a little shy. Doesn’t seem to be bothering you right now.”  
  
Her cheeks started to glow.  
Had he really thought that she was just shy around him and that was what caused her bumbling and stuttering and inability to form a normal sentence around him.  
  
“Right. Shy.”  
  
With a sigh she sat down at her desk. Moving her gaze towards the steaming bowls of soup.  
A few freshly baked buns resting next to them.  
It smelled heavenly.  
Familiar.  
Obviously the chicken noodle soup her mother would make her every time she would feel sick.  
Even if she wasn’t really sick at the moment.  
  
“We just act different towards each other when saving the city.” Marinette continued, taking a bowl from the tray. “People will start to get suspicious if we suddenly start calling each other nicknames and such.”  
  
“Well that’s a shame Bug. Because I do love using those nicknames.”  
  
That familiar Chat Noir teasing dripped off every word he spoke.  
  
“You love teasing me you mean.” She snorted before eating a spoonful of the soup.  
  
Slightly salty.  
Slightly peppery.  
Just like she was used to it tasting.  
  
“I’d never tease you on purpose Marinette.” The way he softly spoke her name made her heart skip a little louder. “I see the nicknames we have for each other as a sign of endearment more than anything else.”  
  
“Is that so Kitty?”  
  
“That is so.” He assured her, taking a bun from the tray and dipping it in the second bowl before taking a bite.  
  
“We can’t keep using the nicknames outside of the masks.”  
  
He swallowed the piece of food before speaking again.“Right. Right. Safety and all. I get it.”  
  
She nodded before taking another spoonful of soup.  
  
“But. We can’t just pretend that we don’t know. That it doesn’t change anything between us.” He reasoned.  
  
“We can try.”  
  
“You...You want to pretend it never happened?”  
  
She could hear both the shock and hurt in his voice.  
  
“It was an accident I swear!” He calmly tried to explain. “I never meant to make a u-turn and run into you from the other side of that alley. I didn’t even know you were behind me. I just saw a good cover and took it...and...I don’t regret it.”  
  
Marinette didn’t respond.  
  
“Even if it was an accident, I don’t regret it happened. I don’t regret knowing it’s you behind that mask Bug. I...I can’t just pretend it never happened.”  
  
“I...I don’t want you to. But...I...I don’t know what to do Adrien.” Her hands began to shake slightly, just as they had done in that alleyway. “It’s too much too soon...It...it would have been easier if you were a total stranger to me and I didn’t have to see you every day outside of saving the day.”  
  
The dark haired girl swallowed hard, turning her eyes away from her partner, fixating more on the pieces of vegetables drifting in the bowl in her hands.  
Partially thanks to her slightly shaking.  
  
“But we know now and...it’s overwhelming me because I don’t want anything between us to change. I want us to be like we are when we’re fighting Akuma. But at the same time I’m having so much trouble accepting that you’re Chat and I just want to keep everyone safe and...I...I don’t know what to do….”  
  
“Hey. Hey.” His voice sounded soothing, calming. Two sturdy hands took away the bowl she was holding, only to return and gently grasp her hands. “It’s alright My Lady. I understand. We...you weren’t ready for this and you couldn’t prepare for all of this. Neither of us could.”  
  
She nodded without saying a word.  
  
“But I am glad that you’re my partner Marinette and I can’t say I feel like I’m having a lot of trouble believing you’re the same person I fight next to almost every day. Because you’re amazing. You’ve always been amazing.”  
  
“I...I….”  
  
“But...I understand and I agree with you.”  
  
Her head snapped back up to find he had kneeled in front of her at some point. “You do?”  
  
“Let’s just let all of this sink in and you take as much time and space as you need. Alright?”  
  
“T-Thank you. Chaton.”

 

* * *

 

“So? Did you ask her out?”  
  
Nino’s sudden question, accompanied by a friendly nudge in his ribs, had shook him out of the tired state he found himself in the next morning.  
He wasn’t sure if it was because of the patrol run he decided to take solo the night prior. Giving Marinette some much needed rest and time to calm down.  
Or if it was because his father had been most displeased he hadn’t been home on time after school.  
  
In any case, he was struggling not to just lie his head down on the desk and sleep.  
  
“Hmmm?”  
  
“Did you ask her out on a date dude?”  
  
“Who?”  
  
Nino rolled his eyes and sighed deeply. “Marinette of course! You went to her house yesterday remember? To bring her homework, confess your love, ask her out on a date.”  
  
“Oh! Yeah I remember! Marinette’s mother makes really good soup..”  
  
“You...You took her out on a date **inside** of her house? That’s weird man.” The other boy laughed. “Usually you spend a date outside...anywhere...away from her family. To get some one on one time. Y’know.”  
  
“What? No...No I didn’t ask her out on a date actually.”  
  
“Afraid she would have said no?”  
  
“Something like that.” He lied.  
  
“She’s not going to say no man. I know for sure she’d be thrilled if you did. Actually I’m absolutely sure she feels the same way about you as you feel about her.”  
  
Adrien arched an eyebrow.  
  
“How would you know?”  
  
“I have my sources. Which I will keep anonymous of course.” His friend shot back with an all knowing smile. “But she likes you too bro.”  
  
The blonde boy slightly frowned. Thinking back at all the conversations they had in the past.  
She had made it clear to him, more than once, that she had feelings for another boy.  
All he knew was that she wasn’t in a relationship and knowing now that Ladybug and Marinette were the same, he could actually confirm that.  
  
But...had she ever told him she had feelings for him?  
  
He was absolutely sure that wasn’t the case.  
  
“I don’t know about that Nino.”  
  
“What harm can it do to actually ask.” His friend reasoned. “If she doesn’t want to go out with you it’s no big deal. You’ll still be friends right?”  
  
“I...guess?”  
  
“And if she does want to go on a date, you’ll know for sure she likes you. Which she does.”  
  
“Why are you so hung up on me asking her out by the way?”  
  
Now it was Nino’s turn to raise a brow, but Madame Mendeleiev’s voice loudly silenced the class before he could answer.  
  
“We’re starting class!” Her shrill voice sounded. Prompting an, almost immediate silence to fall over the classroom. “Open your books to chapter seventeen!”  
  
“Dude. Yesterday you confessed to liking her. Why wouldn’t you ask her out?” The boy next to him whispered as loudly as he could.  
  
Adrien didn’t expect this to be a question haunting him for the rest of the day.  
  
It made sense.  
  
He liked Marinette...no he loved her!  
  
He was pretty sure that she knew that.  
He had made it plenty clear to her as Chat Noir.  
  
But then again, she had needed time and space. He could tell that much from their conversation yesterday, that being the only reason he offered to give her that in the first place.  
  
On the other hand...

What harm could it really do by asking her out?  
It didn’t even have to be a date. Just two friends getting some coffee.  
  
Wasn’t there a café next to the Dupain-Cheng bakery?  
  
Maybe they could get something to eat and drink there.  
  
It wasn’t too far from her home. They could bond a little more.  
Have some down time together out of their masks. Since it was a rare thing when they were wearing them lately anyway.  
  
The confession of love could come later.  
When she was more at ease and their whole new situation between them had felt more normal.  
  
With any luck that would take a couple of weeks at most.  
  
He could wait a little longer.  
  
Perhaps he could ask her if she was feeling better again. Since she didn’t come to school that day either.  
Yet he had seen her when an Akuma had attacked in the middle of his English literature class.  
  
Their teamwork and dynamic feeling as familiar and strong as it had ever been.  
  
Almost as if nothing had changed.  
  
“Adrien. Stop playing with your food.”  
  
For the second time that day a voice had pulled him away from his thoughts.  
Only this time it had been his own father that had called out to him.  
  
“And sit up straight.” The man continued. “Slouching is not good for your posture.”  
  
“Yes father.” Adrien mumbled as he complied. Yet he didn’t have much appetite left for the remaining pieces of vegetable on his plate.  
  
Moving them around with his fork once more.  
  
Never noticing the intense stare his father gave him.  
  
“Well?”  
  
The young boy snapped his head up, looking at his father with confusion on his face.  
Did...did he ask a question? Did he completely miss that?  
  
“Out with it Adrien.” Gabriel calmly demanded.  
  
“Excuse me father?”  
  
“Something is clearly on your mind. So out with it.”  
  
He blinked a couple of times. Not sure how to respond.  
His father had never been one to actually be interested in what he was thinking and even though he could tell the man was starting to lose his patience, he wasn’t sure how to respond.  
Could...could he even ask him advice?  
  
He would ask Plagg sooner if the Kwami hadn’t been sleeping most of the day. Like he usually would do between having his wheels of cheese.  
  
“I could recall you saying some time ago that I should start noticing more things about you.”  
  
“I didn’t….not exactly….”  
  
“Well I am noticing something is on your mind son. So out with it.”  
  
Adrien let go of his fork, sighed and folded his hands in his lap.  
He wasn’t sure if he could actually talk to his father about such a thing. But he was offering a hand, a sign, to improve their relationship. In a way.  
He shouldn’t throw away such an opportunity.  
  
He wanted to be closer to his father more than anything.  
Especially since he had a feeling that his father had been pushing him away on occasion.  
  
For some reason.  
  
Though he wasn’t sure talking about the girl he loved and how he wanted to ask her out on a date was a good topic to ask parental advice from.  
  
If his mother was still around. Sure.  
  
He would go to her with all his problems.  
  
If his bodyguard was more willing to talk than listen. Absolutely!  
  
He trusted the Gorilla with his life at this point and he had become one of the most caring people he knew.  
Even if he did get paid to keep him safe on the daily.  
  
But his father?  
  
He did manage to marry his mother at one point. So...it was safe to say that he had some experience in how to properly ask a girl out on a not-actually-a-date-but-could-be-a-date-if-Marinette-would-be-okay-with-that….date.  
  
“Well...there is this...girl.”  
  
Gabriel’s eyes widened for a moment before he let himself relax a little more.  
Clearing his throat, he motioned for Adrien to continue.  
  
“I kind of really...really like her?”  
  
The more he spoke of her, the more he started to regret opening up to his father.  
What kind of advice would he really be able to give that Plagg or Nino hadn’t already given him at this point.  
  
“And--”  
  
Adrien found himself suddenly silenced by his father’s raising hand.  
  
“I’ve heard enough. I suggest you focus back on your studies and forget about this girl.”  
  
What else would he have expected. Of course his studies were the most important thing to his father.  
  
Growing up, being romantically interested in other people, learning how to stand on his own two feet.  
  
Nah.  
  
Those things we’re nothing compared to learning how to speak Mandarin, play piano, excell at fencing and other sports.  
  
“Yes father.”  
  
“At your age relationships are nothing but a distraction.” Gabriel continued.  
  
“Yes father.”  
  
Whatever his father said to him next was quickly droned out as he once again started to move the remaining pieces of food around on his plate.  
  
He could vaguely hear Nathalie come into the dining room, demanding his father’s attention on some ‘important matter’. Whatever that was.  
  
It didn’t matter now.  
  
He still wasn’t sure if he should ask Marinette out for a drink or a bite to eat.  
She...had seemed more than confused and unable to make sense of their new situation and the last thing he wanted was to make that worse.  
  
Then again.  
  
Perhaps spending some quality time with her would even help her in a way.  
Though he had no idea why she was having so much trouble accepting that he was also her partner.  
  
To him, everything had made so much sense after he knew.  
  
The eyes, the freckles, the sassy comments, the fierce determination, the compasion, the resourcefulness.  
It was just as much part of Marinette as it was part of Ladybug.  
And they weren’t that different at all, now that he could compare the two with certainty.  
  
Adrien had already made peace with their whole new development, the first five minutes after leaving her in that alley.  
  
“What do you think I should do?” Adrien asked Plagg once he had retired to his room again.  
  
“Why are you asking me?” The Kwami asked back, nibbling on a piece of cheese.  
  
“You heard my father right?”  
  
“Yeah. But I still don’t know why you’re asking me.” Plagg huffed. “Just ask her out if you want to ask her.”  
  
The boy bit on his lip, pacing back and forth in his room.  
  
“But what if she says no.”  
  
“Then nothing changes. She won’t be angry with you for asking her out. It’s not like you haven’t tried before.” The cat snorted.  
  
“That...that is true.”  
  
“And she rejected you plenty of times.”  
  
The boy sighed. “Also...true.”  
  
“Did that ever change anything?”  
  
“No. I guess not.”  
  
“Then it won’t change anything when you ask her out for a date for the millionth time.”  


* * *

  
  
“Are you going to school again after the weekend?” Marinette’s mother asked her, pouring a cup of tea for her.  
  
The dark haired girl nodded.  
  
“I am. I’m feeling a lot better.”  
  
“Thank goodness.” Sabine sighed. “That was quite the stomach ache you had.”  
  
“Maybe it was a light flu?” The girl guessed.  
  
Even though she knew that wasn’t the case at all and all the nauseating feelings in her belly had been caused by worry.  
  
Confusion and uncertainty.  
  
But she had half of a plan now and the talk with Chat...Adrien…had helped to some regard.  
He was willing to wait.  
Give her space.  
Pretend nothing had changed between them outside of the masks.  
  
Tikki had, more than once, advised her to just let things flow naturally.  
There was no harm in becoming better friends and closer to each other when they weren’t saving Paris.  
  
Which would have been easier if Adrien had been a total stranger to her.  
Or she hadn’t fallen in love with him.  
  
But even now...she was doubting those feelings.  
  
Carefully Marinette took a sip of her tea.  
Her mother excused herself from the kitchen, telling her she was going down to help her father in the bakery again.  
  
Leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.  
  
“You’re still thinking about it aren’t you?” Tikki asked from her hiding spot in the kitchen.  
  
“Yeah.” She softly answered. “I...still don’t know what to make of this. Even though it’s been two days.”  
  
“It takes time.” The red Kwami reasoned. “I haven’t met a Ladybug and Chat Noir that didn’t need time to get used to knowing each other out of the masks. But it has worked out before.”  
  
“But...the secret identity rule...isn’t there for no reason. Right?”  
  
Tikki nodded. “There have been times where...Miraculous holders would still be alive if others didn’t know about their identity. That’s why that rule is there. But if it happens, it happens and the most you can do is be careful.”  
  
“And the most careful I can be is not to talk with Adrien. I mean Chat! Outside of being Ladybug.”  
  
“That is difficult in your case.” The little creature frowned. “You know that. You see him every day.”  
  
“And it’s not like I can just push him away and tell him not to talk to me only to be all buddy buddy when we’re heroes again.”  
  
She threw her arms up in frustration.  
  
“This is so difficult! If I want to keep everyone safe, I lose a friend. If I don’t want to lose a friend, everyone I love will be in more danger.”  
  
“Possibly.” Tikki muttered.  
  
“Possibly.”  
  
“I have full confidence that you two will figure it out together Marinette.”  
  
“I need more time to think.”  
  
“You have all weekend. Why don’t you and Adrien talk again about this on Monday? Take things one step at a time.”  
  
“One slow step at a time.” The girl added.  
  
She was just about to take another sip of her tea, when the doorbell rang.  
Which was strange, seeing as she wasn’t expecting company.  
Nor was she dressed to receive it.  
  
Still wearing her polka dot pajama top and wearing comfortable pajama shorts beneath it.  
Her hair pulled up in a messy bun.  
No makeup on her face.  
  
Alya hadn’t texted her that she was coming over either.  
  
“I hope it’s not him.” The girl sighed, letting herself slide from the barstool in the kitchen.  
  
Again the bell rang.  
  
“Please don’t let it be him.” She muttered further, making her way to the door. “It’s too early to deal with this.”  
  
Yet when she opened the door, the boy she had hoped wouldn’t be there was indeed standing before her.  
  
“H-Hey Marinette. Good morning.”  
  
Adrien smiled awkwardly when she opened the door, one hand behind his back.  
A goofy smile on his face that reminded her instantly of Chat Noir.  
  
“Good morning.” She greeted back. “I..I didn’t expect you here today.”  
  
“Oh! I’m sorry. Should I have called first? I should have called first didn’t I.”  
  
Something about seeing him so nervous, was slightly endearing in a way.  
  
“It’s fine Kitty.” She smiled. “I just wasn’t expecting you. But you’re always welcome here.”  
  
She could see him relax a bit more.  
Shoulders looking less tense, the forced smile more genuine.  
  
“Thank you My Lady.”  
  
“Is there a special reason you’re here? Or did you get lost on the way to the bakery.” She joked.  
  
Joking was good.  
It felt good.  
  
Less tense.  
  
“Ah. Straight to the point as always.” He joked back. “Well I was actually wondering if you were feeling a bit better.”  
  
She nodded. “I am. But I’m still not sure what to do. I just know nothing feels normal...yet.”  
  
He nodded in understanding. “Still overwhelming?”  
  
“Yeah. Don’t you feel the same?”  
  
“Can’t say I do.” Adrien admitted. “As you know I’ve wanted to know who you were behind the mask for a long time. So...maybe it doesn’t shock me as much knowing you...are you? If that makes sense.”  
  
“It makes sense.”  
  
“Oh..eh...I was also wondering if you’re having any plans for today?”  
  
She blinked a couple of times. Noticing the faint blush forming on his cheeks.  
  
“I was going to distract myself with some homework. Maybe a round of Mecha Striker? Why do you ask?”  
  
“Well...I was wondering…” He didn’t finish his sentence but instead pulled out the hand he had hidden behind his back.  
  
Offering her a small bouquet of pink roses he had hidden there. “I should probably give you these first. You still like pink right?”  
  
A bit confused, she took his gift.  
  
“These are wonderful.”  
  
“I’m glad you like them. I just...thought I needed to get you something...as an apology for what happened the other day.”  
  
She looked up from the flowers. “But it wasn’t even your fault.” She laughed. “If I had been more careful and kept an eye out on where you were going...the….”  
  
“No! No! It was my fault.” Her partner insisted. “I shouldn’t have gone the wrong way in the first place.”  
  
“We’re both to blame. Aren’t we.”  
  
“I can live with that.” He laughed.  
  
“This is sweet of you.” Marinette gestured to the flowers. “Thank you Chat. I mean Adrien! I mean--....Just shoot me.”  
  
“I’d rather take you out for a drink.” He responded back. The familiar smirk she was so used seeing on Chat, curled on his lips.  
  
“W-What?”  
  
“A drink? Some coffee or tea. At the café next door maybe?”  
  
Her grip on the flowers tightened.  
  
While she had felt relaxed and almost had forgotten about their new predicament, now the sickening feeling had returned tenfold.  
  
“Like...a date?” She carefully asked.  
  
He sounded unsure while answering. “Sort of?”  
  
Again the grip on the flowers tightened.  
  
“I told you.” She calmly started. Yet with clear anger coating every word. “I told you yesterday I wasn’t sure what to do.”  
  
Marinette felt herself shaking again. Her voice soon followed.  
  
“Y-You told me...that you would...give me space.” The girl breathed in deeply. “That you would give me time.”  
  
“Of course I will.”  
  
“Then...Then why did you think asking me on a date is a good idea!”  
  
This time she didn’t hold back.  
His eyes widened at her outburst.  
  
“I just thought that hanging out together might help.”  
  
“Help? Help how!” She huffed. “A date isn’t exactly something I can handle now Adrien! Especially with you.”  
  
Furiously she threw the flowers against his chest.  
Petals falling to the floor.  
  
Her cheeks flaring with anger.  
  
“You...You...Mangy stray!”  
  
With full force she threw the door closed.  
Letting her back bang against it before sliding down to the floor.  
Tears of anger sliding down her face.  
Feeling dizzy, sick, even more confused than she already was.  
  
Why would he even go against what he had promised just the day before?  
  
Why was she even declining the offer for a date?  
  
She was in love with him wasn’t she?  
  
Wasn’t she?  
  
The girl let herself slump against the door, sliding down ever so slowly until she sat on the floor.  
Putting her head against pulled up knees before she found herself sobbing softly.  
  
She felt...so confused.   
So lost.  
  
Nothing like the superhero she was. Not even feeling like herself.  
  
From the other side of the door, she could hear footsteps moving away from her.  
  
Adrien was leaving.  
  
Instantly she regretted everything she said.  
  
"Marinette?"  
  
"I...I messed...up." The girl sobbed.   
  
"It's going to be alright."  
  
"I shouted...at him...Tikki...and for what?"  
  
The Kwami didn't answer.  
  
Marinette lifted her head to look at the pocket sized God.  
Whipping away a tear from her eye.  
  
"What am I even doing?" She continued to ask herself. "What should I even be doing?"  
  
"Marinette. You're just confused. That's the whole reason you've been trying to avoid Adrien as much as you could."  
  
Had she been avoiding him?  
The girl sighed heavily realizing that she had.  
The whole actual reason she partially feigned sickness, to avoid running into him at school.  
  
She didn't want to talk about what happened.   
  
She didn't want to see him as Chat Noir.  
  
She just wanted things to go back to normal.  
  
But that was impossible.  
  
"I...I didn't mean to..."  
  
Tikki nodded. "I know and I'm sure he didn't mean to stress you out like this either. You know how Adrien is. He just wants to help you out and he probably thought getting a drink somewhere would help you relax a bit more."  
  
"And I called him a stray."  
  
She banged her head against the door as she sat up a little more straighter. Feeling even more guilty about how she behaved during the past few days.  
  
Why couldn't she just deal with this all like a rational teenager, instead of trying to hide from it all like a little child.  
  
Did it all really mess her up that badly?  
  
"I'm sure he'll forgive you if you apologize. He loves you Marinette." The red Kwami assured her. "You know that."  
  
"Tikki." She paused a moment. "I really messed up didn't I?"  
  
  


* * *

  
  
To say that Chat Noir hadn’t been in the best of moods after Marinette had declined his offer for a date was an understatement.  
  
He had expected a witty comeback on how dating and work wasn’t a thing that should be mixed.  
Or that coffee wasn’t healthy for kids their age.  
  
Or...something less...harsh than calling him a mangy stray and shutting the door in his face.  
  
He could hear her sobb at the other end of the door.  
It pained him to hear her cry.  
To know he had made her cry.  
Even if that was the last thing he meant to do.  
  
So instead of apologizing and explaining why he thought hanging out would help them both, he had just left the Dupain-Cheng household.  
Throwing the roses in the nearest garbage bin.  
Texting a quick message to Nino that his secret source of information had been wrong about Marinette liking him as much as he liked her.  
  
All Plagg could do was comfort him from his hiding spot, as the boy made his way back home.  
Gently purring against his chest to calm him down.  
  
Halfway home however, he decided to make himself more useful and transformed.  
Bouncing from rooftop to rooftop until the evening fell and it was time for his actual patrol run.  
  
Their patrol run.  
  
Though he didn’t expect Ladybug to show up that evening, after what had happened, he waited for her on their regular spot anyway.  
More out of habit than anything else.  
  
Five minutes.  
  
Ten.  
  
Twenty.  
  
A soft thud was heard behind him.  
  
A thud he had heard a hundred times before.  
  
“Bonsoir Bugaboo.”  
  
“Bonsoir Chaton.”  
  
Her voice sounded soft.  
Apologetic. Careful. Frail.  
  
The complete opposite she had sounded a couple of hours ago.  
  
“I didn’t think you wanted to hang out with a mangy stray tonight.”  
  
“There’s only one stray cat I’ll ever hang out with.” She sighed as she walked up to him. “And that’s always going to be you and you know that.”  
  
“Could have fooled me this morning.”  
  
“I’m sorry. I...I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You didn’t deserve that.”  
  
“No.” He sighed. His face relaxing out of the angry scowl that had been on his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you out. Not when you clearly told me that you’re having trouble dealing with us knowing who we are. I knew and I still thought about asking you on a date.”  
  
“You were only trying to help.”  
  
“You would have probably been right though. I’m not so sure now how getting coffee would have helped you.”  
  
“To be honest...I’m not sure what would help.” She shyly interlocked her fingers with his own.  
”I...I almost wish things would got back to the way they were...but...it can’t so...I just have to deal with this in some way.”  
  
He gave her hand a comforting squeeze. Letting her warmth soak through his gloves.  
  
“Not on your own Marinette. I don’t quite fully understand why you’re having so much trouble with this...but I’ll help you anyway I can.”  
  
“I...I think I’m having so much trouble because I know you. I know what you’re supposed to be like and my brain doesn’t link you and….you as the same person...yet. I think I told you. Didn’t I?”  
  
Chat Noir nodded. “It would be easier if we were strangers. Right? That’s what you said.”  
  
She let go of his hand.  
Instantly he missed her warmth.  
  
“Yeah but that’s not the case and this one is all on me…feeling so messed up.”  
  
Chat turned around, took a step back and offered her his hand for a handshake.  
She arched an eyebrow.  
Blue eyes looking at him curiously.  
  
“Let’s start over then.” He suggested. “Hi. I’m Adrien. But you can call me Chat Noir when we’re fighting Akuma. Nice to meet you.”  
  
The blonde boy shot her a toothy grin.  
Earning a light giggle from the girl.  
  
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Marinette.” Ladybug told him, firmly grasping his hand and giving it a short shake. “You can call me Ladybug.”  
  
He gently tugged her closer to him, planting a soft kiss on the back of her hand.  
Like he had done on more than one occasion.  
  
“The pleasure of meeting you is all mine my dear Ladybug.”  
  
“Smooth as ever.” The girl sighed before rolling her eyes.  
  
Another kiss was pressed against the palm of her hand. “What can I say. You have a way of bringing out this cat’s miaow.”  
  
He raised and lowered his brows a couple of times to emphasise his pun.  
Musical laughter sounded past her lips.  
Making his heart pound harder.  
Burn slightly.  
  
It was certainly a sound he loved to hear and hoped he would hear it plenty of times more.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the tenth one-shot for this thing I've written.  
> I did set out to do ten, but if people want to see more I can extend the amount of chapters to...whatever...another ten pieces maybe???
> 
> Thank you all for reading this one shot collection!
> 
> Edit: It was brought to my attention that the ending scenes didn't really flow well into each other. So I added a little dialogue between Marinette and Tikki to, hopefully, fix that up a bit.


	11. Nothing remains secret ***

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are hugs, one sided reveals and an emotional cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this one was 'it's 2AM, why are you here'

* * *

Being a superhero, Marinette had quickly found out it wasn’t only Paris that was suffering under the constant Akuma attacks Hawkmoth dished out on the daily.   
  
Her obligations as a student suffered just as much, if not more, and she had praised herself lucky that she managed to pass her tests up until now.   
If only barely in some cases.   
  
Though she had no doubt her report card would end up with passable grades at best, she still tried to work and study hard and keep those grades as high as she could.   
Sacrificing much needed sleep on more than one occasion.

  
Mostly on Friday’s, when she could just sleep in during the weekend, if Hawkmoth allowed it, to make up for it.    
  
So it wasn’t uncommon for her lights to be on in the middle of the night, while she was working on equations or finishing a report or project that needed to be turned in on Monday.   
  
Her parents had lectured her about it several times.   
That she shouldn’t postpone her work until the very last minute.   
That she should study much earlier than a day before the test was being held.   
Shouting reminders that she needed to get some sleep immediately because she was up too late for their liking.   
  
They were right, of course.   
  
But she had no idea how to otherwise balance school, social life and fighting Akuma.   
So for now she just had to endure the gentle scolding and the struggle to get through her school work.   
  
This night was no different as she typed away furiously on her computer, racing to finish up a English book report that was due after the weekend.   
Then she would have one less thing to worry about, being able to focus on studying for a biology test and a physics test a bit more.   
Not to mention dig through a mountain of homework she hadn’t even started on.   
  
Well...mountain might have been an exaggeration.   
  
But Marinette was expecting to at least spend a good hour or...three...maybe four...on just her homework this weekend.   
That was if nothing, or nobody, would crash that party.   
  
Like a certain cat.   
  
The girl groaned slightly at the thought, letting her fingers rest on the keyboard for a moment.   
She didn’t want to push Chat Noir away.   
He was always nice company and they had become great friends over time.   
How that exactly happened she couldn’t remember, but he would always drop in at some point during the weekend and they would always end up watching a movie or playing a videogame or talking about the most random of things.   
  
A small smile curled on her lips as the girl remembered the pointless discussion they had last time.   
She had stood by her statement that Ultima Mecha Striker I had the better control mechanics.   
He had firmly stood by his opinion that the second instalment was the better game.   
  
She had fired up both versions and played it with him to compare and settle the disagreement once and for all.   
  
None of the games ended up as a winner, as both of them ended up too engrossed into their matches to think about it again.   
  
A light tap on window jolted her out of her thoughts and further away from her homework assignment.   
  
Bright green eyes stared at her as he once again tapped on her window.   
  
As silently as she could Marinette opened up the window.   
  
“It’s 2 AM, why are you here?” She hissed.   
  
“I’m sorry.”    
  
The girl raised her brow, his voice sounded raw, soft and uneven.   
As if he had been screaming for a good while, straining his vocal cords.   
  
“I...I just…” The hero continued. “I saw your lights were on and…” He stopped to take a deep breath. “I really need a friend right now.”   
  
The girl blinked a couple of times before stepping aside to let him in.   
  
“Are you alright?” She asked softly only to be interrupted by her mother’s voice.   
  
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Go to bed right now!” She bellowed from the living room.   
  
“Ten more minutes maman! I’m almost done with this book report!”   
  
There was a moment of silence before her mother answered. “Ten minutes! Not a minute more!”   
  
“Thank you!” Marinette shouted back before turning towards Chat Noir again.    
  
Only now that he was in her well lit room, did she notice a couple of things that were...off...about him.   
  
His non-human ears were pressed flat against his head.   
Something wet was glistening on his cheek.   
  
Remains of tears, the designer suspected.   
  
He was slightly shaking, clenching one hand tightly in a fist.   
  
“Chat?” She asked in an almost pleading way. “What happened?”   
  
“I...I...there was….”   
  
The boy took a deep breath, one hand moving over his mouth to muffle the sobs that had started coming out of him.   
Making his body shake more violently.   
  
“Hey. Hey.” The girl gently whispered to him. “It’s okay Chaton, let’s sit down okay. It’s okay.”   
  
She led him to her desk chair.   
He followed her lead without hesitation.    
  
“Deep breaths Chat. Deep breaths.”   
  
Soft hands carefully wiped away the tears falling from his eyes.   
Kneeling in front of him to stay at eye level.   
  
“I..I didn’t k-know where to go.” He manage to tell her before taking in a sharp breath. “I...I know…”   
  
“You...you know?”   
  
Her heart started to race.   
  
What did he know? That she was his partner?   
That she was Ladybug?   
Was he crying because he felt guilty he didn’t tell her sooner?   
  
“Who Hawkmoth is.” Chat clarified between sobs.

She could hear him swallow hard, trying to stop his tears.   
They kept on streaming and she kept wiping them away with the palm of her hands while she sighed in relief.   
At least her identity was safe.   
  
“That’s not a bad thing Chat! You should tell Ladybug maybe--”   
  
“He’s my father.” He interrupted her quickly. “H-He’s...Hawkmoth is...my father.”   
  
“O...Oh.” Was all she could mutter.   
  
All feeling of relief and slight happiness washed away in an instant.   
  
“I..I found out today...and...we argued about it...and he w-want--” The boy swallowed hard again. “Wants me to join him...and get Ladybug’s Miraculous because...b-because he says it could bring my mother back?”   
  
“Take a deep breath first Chat. Then tell me everything from the top. Okay?”   
  
He nodded, trying to calm himself down in the process.   
But failing miserably as she could feel him still shake under her touch.   
  
“I...I can’t...I could never….not her.”   
  
“Shhhh. I know Chaton. I know. Keep breathing. Deep breaths.”    
  
Marinette moved more to his side and placed a hand on his back, trying to calm him down by rubbing small circles against the fabric of his suit.   
Her other hand gently grasping his shaking arm.   
  
She could feel his warm breath wash over her fingers as he held his head down and huffed out uneven and hard breaths.   
Not calming down in the slightest.   
  
For once in her life, she didn’t know what to say or do to help him.   
Even at his most fragile, she had never seen him break down like this. Usually taking setbacks in stride.   
Never had he shed a tear in front of her...or anyone, as far as she was aware.   
  
She couldn’t even imagine how he was feeling.   
  
His own father.   
  
A supervillain.   
  
The person a child would usually turn to for protection, endangering Paris.   
“I’m sorry...I can’t….” Chat stood up from the chair, his legs wobbling slightly. “I shouldn’t...have come here.”   
  
“No Chaton. It’s okay.” Marinette took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. Pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m here for you. You said you needed a friend right?”   
  
She felt his chest rise and fall heavily as he once again tried to compose himself.   
Strong arms found their way around her shoulders, pulling the girl even closer against him.   
Pressing his face against her neck, she could feel he had trouble trying to swallow his sobs.   
  
There was nothing she could do right now besides hold him.   
  
She wasn’t exactly sure how long they had been standing there, clinging onto each other in that tight embrace, but eventually she felt his breathing calming down under her touch.   
  
“Are you feeling okay now?” She carefully asked him. “Enough to talk to me I mean.”   
  
“Yeah.” He answered with a sigh.   
  
“Do...Do you want to sit down?”   
  
His reply sounded like muffled grunt and the only word she could make out somewhat clearly was ‘warm’.   
The boy didn’t let go of her, but did move his head so he was resting his chin on her shoulder.   
  
“Where should I start.” Chat Noir muttered. More to himself than to Marinette.   
  
“At the beginning. What happened today?”   
  
He took another deep breath before speaking to her. “I...I came home from school and I heard my father talking loudly to someone in the living room.”   
  
Another sigh from him. “I just wanted to say ‘hi’. To let him know I was home, but I didn’t want to interrupt him if he was talking to someone personally, so I opened the door a little to see if he was on the phone...and...and…”   
  
Once again she started rubbing soothing circles on his back.   
Giving him the time he needed before he could continue again.   
  
“And?”    
  
“And...and I saw him talking to a Kwami.”   
  
Marinette’s eyes grew wide hearing that word and she was happy that he couldn’t see her expression.   
Because she was sure it would have given away the secret she had been keeping from him.   
  
The dark haired girl had to pretend not to know what he was talking about. “A what-now?”   
  
“A Kwami. They give me and Ladybug our powers through our Miraculous.” He briefly explained. “I..I told you about Plagg right?”   
  
She nodded against his shoulder. “A couple of times.”   
  
“He’s a Kwami.”   
  
“And...your father has one too? So he has a Miraculous?”   
  
“It looked like a butterfly. Hawkmoth uses butterflies.” He choked a little.    
  
“What did you do then?”   
  
“Something stupid.”   


 

* * *

  
  
Adrien’s eyes went wide when he noticed the small, purple, butterfly-like Kwami.   
It was nibbling on a piece of food.   
Fruit of some sort, if he had to make a guess.   
  
“Hurry up.” His father commanded the creature.   
  
As usual, the man sounded cold.   
Unsympathetic.   
  
“Yes Master.” The Kwami muttered.   
  
“Poor Noroo.” Plagg sighed. “Can’t even eat in peace.”   
  
So Plagg knew his father’s Kwami.   
  
“Butterfly Miraculous?” Adrien asked the cat as softly as he could, whom nodded solemnly in reply.   
  
“Father is…” He hissed through his teeth.   
  
The black cat was quick to interrupt before he could finish that sentence.   
  
“We should tell Ladybug. Now.”    
  
A wise decision.   
  
Yet not the decision his brain thought was best at that moment.   
Adrien wasn’t sure where the sudden flare of anger came from.   
  
Perhaps it was just the strongest emotion that currently flowed through him.   
  
But seeing proof first hand, that his father was the supervillain he had been fighting against for so long.   
  
A supervillain that was living under the same roof as he was.   
  
A supervillain that had caused his friends to turn into ruthless versions of themselves.   
  
One that he had thought was someone he could trust.   
  
Furiously, Adrien pushed the door to the dining room further open.   
Sharing a intense look with his father.   
  
“What the actual fuck father!”   
  
He could hear Plagg slightly gasp beside him.   
  
“I won’t tolerate such language inside this house Adrien!” His father quickly responded.   
  
“Oh! That’s funny! Seeing how what you’re doing inside this house is ten times worse!” The boy spat back. “Is this why you’re never around anymore?!”   
  
The boy gestured towards the Kwami, who couldn’t do anything but float in place.   
Frozen.   
Wings slightly shaken.   
Too scared to move.   
  
“What I do here is of no concern to you!”   
  
“Being a supervillain! Is of no concern! To me?!” The boy let out a fake laugh. “You’re terrorizing the entire city! You’re trying to actively kill superheroes my age! You’re making things unsafe for everyone! Including me!”   
  
The older Agreste took a deep breath before speaking again. More calmly and reserved this time. “I’m doing all this for us. For you.”   
  
“Again. You’re putting  _ everyone _ in danger! You’re not even trying to deny it!”   
  
“Son.” He stepped forward and put a hand on the shoulder of Adrien. Instinctively he took a step back. “I need the Miraculous.  _ Their _ Miraculous. With them, I can bring her back.”   
  
He didn’t need any explanation as to who his father meant by ‘her’.    
It was enough to subside most of the rage going through him.   
  
“Mom.”   
  
Gabriel nodded. “Those Miraculous have the power to make any wish come true. Including bringing your mother back.”   
  
“I don’t believe you.”   
  
“Ask your Kwami Adrien. He will tell you it’s true.”   
  
“Y-You know?”   
  
“Do you really think you can really sneak out without any of the security cameras catching you?”   
  
“There isn’t a security camera outside of my room.”   
  
“There wasn’t. But after your little escapade during Christmas, I had to make extra sure that you were safe.”   
  
The boy took another step back, not responding to his father.   
He messed up.   
  
Even if the camera hadn’t been there, he now realised he didn’t even question the existence of the butterfly creature before accusing his father of being Hawkmoth.   
  
If he hadn’t known before, he would have known know that he was carrying a Miraculous too.   
  
Or suspect it at the very least.   
  
But now...all cards were out on the table.   
  
He could still end it in his favor.   
  
“Seeing how you’re jumping to such rash conclusions, I don’t believe I was wrong in doing so.”   
  
“So you are Hawkmoth.” Adrien carefully stated. “You’re still not denying it and your Kwami here proofs enough.”   
  
“I am. But I am doing this all for you, my son. For us.”   
  
He could feel Plagg moving more vividly from the inside pocket of his shirt.   
  
Adrien swallowed. “I...I don’t agree with the way you’re doing this.”   
  
Gabriel put two hands on the shoulders of his son, before he managed to take another step back.   
  
Keeping the boy in place as much as he could.   
  
“Sometimes we have to sacrifice things for our loved ones.”   
  
“Akumatizing people isn’t the way!” Plagg objected, flying out of Adrien’s inner pocket. “You don’t even know what could happen if you do use the Miraculous!”   
  
“Silence!” The man demanded. “This is between Adrien and myself! Stay out of this!”   
  
“He’s my chosen!” Plagg argued.    
  
“Don’t. You’ll only make it worse.” The soft voice of butterfly Kwami pleaded with the cat.   
  
Gabriel chose to ignore them both and turned his attention back towards his son.   
  
“Don’t you want your mother back?”   
  
“Of course I do!”   
  
“Then help me Adrien. Help me get Ladybug’s earrings and you’ll have your mother back before you know it. I don’t have to hurt anyone anymore. We can be a family again.”   
  
The heavy hands were removed from the boy’s shoulders before the fashion designer continued. “Isn’t that what you want my boy.”   
  
“It...it is but...Ladybug...she’s my friend...I...I care for her. I don’t know if I can betray her like that.”   
  
“She’ll get her earrings back son. We’re only borrowing them. Just to get her back.”   
  
“I don’t...I don’t know.”   
  
“He’s going to think about it.” Plagg interjected, pulling slightly on the boy’s sleeve. “This is huge, you can’t decide this overnight kid.”   
  
“He’s right.” Adrien agreed, glad that the Kwami managed to give him a way out of the conversation. “Give me some time to come to a decision father.”   
  
Gabriel gave the boy a short nod. “Very well. I expect an answer at the end of the week.”   
  


* * *

  
“I assume you didn’t need a week, since you’re here now.”   
  
Chat Noir let go of his pillar of warmth and comfort, taking a couple of steps around the room before settling himself back on her desk chair.   
  
“Yeah. I...I talked to Plagg that night and...well. I didn’t want my father to go to jail. He’s the only family I have left.” Marinette nodded in understanding. “Then we both figured, that if he doesn’t have his Miraculous, he can’t harm anyone either so…”   
  
Chat opened up the hand he had clutched the entire time.   
In it rested a delicate looking pin with butterfly wings on either side.   
Yet if someone told her they were actually fairy wings, she would have believed it too.   
  
“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!” Marinette found herself shouting.    
  
“But--”   
  
“YOU WENT AFTER THAT WITHOUT ANY BACKUP!”   
  
“N-No...I’m sorry? I just figured it would be best to get as little people involved and...well I might have lost time looking for Ladybug and he would have known if I did go out looking.”   
  
Her voice was a little louder this time.“So you just went into your father’s room, or something, and took it?!”   
  
He wasn’t given an opportunity to answer as the trapdoor to Marinette’s room flew open.    
Her mother’s angry face greeting them both.   
  
“Marinette Dupain-Cheng! When I say ten minutes! I mean--” Sabine’s eyes fell on the superhero. “Is this why you’re up so late every time?”   
  
“What? No! No maman! I swear it’s not! Chat and I are friends and well...he’s had a bad evening and needed some support.”   
  
Her mother’s eyes narrowed.    
  
“It is true Madame. I’m truly sorry for dropping in so late.” He stood up from the chair once again. “I won’t disturb you any further.”   
  
“Wait just a moment Chat Noir.” Marinette grabbed his wrist before he was able to dart out of her room. “You can’t go out there tonight. Not after what you told me.”   
  
“I can’t stay here either.”   
  
“What happened?” Sabine’s asked patiently, pushing the hatch open even further before walking into the room.   


“I...I found out who Hawkmoth is Madame Cheng. Or...was.”   
  
He showed her the Miraculous. “He was his father.” Marinette added.   
  
“I took a risk and chose to take away his power instead of fighting against him. Or joining him. I just bolted out of the house the first moment I could. With his Miraculous.”   
  
“That is a big risk Chat Noir.”   
  
“Part of the job.”   
  
For the first time that evening, he forced a small smile.   
  
“What are you going to do now?”   
  
He shrugged. “I was out there looking for Ladybug before I noticed Marinette still had her lights on. I was hoping that she would know what to do with this.”   
  
For a brief moment, Sabine gave a all knowing look to her daughter.   
A look, which the girl wasn’t sure what to do with or what that even meant.   
She quickly turned her motherly attention back to the boy.   
  
“Maybe you’ll have more luck in the morning.” She suggested and he nodded in agreement.   
  
“Would it...would it be alright if I slept on the balcony tonight?”   
  
Marinette’s eyes went wide. “Why?”   
  
“I’m afraid to go home. I still have my Miraculous and even if I store this one somewhere safe, he might steal my ring and...well I hate to think what he could do with the power of destruction at his fingertips.”   
  
“You...You can’t go home!” Sabine gasped softly in realisation.   
  
“Sacrifices have to be made. My father was right about that.” Another forced smile. “It’s still warm outside and it doesn’t seem like it will rain. I should be fine.”   
  
“Maman?”   
  
Sabine didn’t need to know what her daughter wanted to ask her, she simply nodded towards her.   
  
“Sleep on our sofa tonight Chat Noir.”   
  
“Are...Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”   
  
“Chaton. You’ve done so much for Paris. Letting you sleep here is the least we can do to repay you.”   
  
“Stay for breakfast too. We can’t have you looking for Ladybug on a empty stomach.” The dark haired woman insisted.   
  
“A-Are you sure?” She nodded. “Thank you Madame Cheng! T-Thank you Marinette.”   
  
His voice started to sound raw and filled emotion again. “T-Thank you.”   
  
“Don’t start crying again Chat Noir.” Quickly the girl wrapped her arms back around his waist. Pulling him into another hug. “Everything will be alright. We’ll help you figure things out.”   
  
“Thank you.” He muttered against the girl before a third hand was placed on his back. Rubbing soothing circles between his shoulders.   
  
“Have you had dinner yet?” Sabine asked him.   
  
“N-No. But it’s alright. I’m not that hungry. But I’m sure my Kwami is. I’ve been like this for a couple of hours now.”   
  
“Oh. Right. Your identity. I guess we should try to keep it hidden right Chaton?”   
  
He sighed. “It’s for the best.”   
  
“I’ll take care of the living room and put some food out.”   
  
“He’s a picky eater.” Chat informed him. “He likes cheese the most.”   
  
She gave him a slight nod. “Marinette, will you keep him company for a little longer sweetie?”   
  
“Of course.”   
  
“Thank you.” He once again sighed once her mother was gone. “I...I owe you guys.”   
  
“You don’t owe us anything.”   
  
“I really do. You’re amazing Marinette. Your whole family is amazing.”   
  
“We’re only trying to help.” She laughed. “You would do the same for me.”   
  
“I would.” 

  
  
Another smile.   
Not forced this time.   
  
“I’m sorry for...y’know...breaking down like that. I was...I am….”   
  
“Shhhh. It’s okay. You’re allowed to cry I mean...I think anyone would after finding this out about their own father.”   
  
“Thank you for understanding Mari.”   
  
“No need to thank me for that.”   
  
She smiled back, he returned her smile with another one of his own.   
He looked tired, but more at ease.   
His non-human ears standing a bit more upright compared to when he had stepped through the window.   
  
“Can I ask you a favor?”   
  
“Sure.”   
  
Something small was pressed into her hands.   
  
“Could you keep this safe?”   
  
Marinette looked down at her hands and noticed the small butterfly brooch.   
The butterfly Miraculous.   
  
“Just for tonight.” He added. “I’ll give it to Ladybug when I find her tomorrow.”   
  
“You’re lucky I have this super secure super secret box.”   
  
“Keep it super secret. Just in case.”   
  
She pocketed the piece of jewelry.    
  
“So. What’s the plan? For after you’ve wrapped it all up and the butterfly Miraculous is safe?”   
  
“I...I don’t know. Give my ring to Ladybug too I guess. Return home.”   
  
“What if there are other supervillains?”   
  
He didn’t answer.   
  
“Will...Will I even see you again.”   
  
He still didn’t answer.   
  
They had been partners long enough for her to know that he didn’t have a clear answer to any of her questions.   
  
“I...I understand. Just. Come look me up if you hang up those cat ears for good okay. We’re friends. Mask or no mask.”   
  
“We are.” The hero agreed. “And I will. I’ll probably miss hugging you eventually.”   
  
“I’ll give you three days before you come running to me for a hug.” Marinette joked.    
  
“That sounds about right.” He grinned. “I’m...well since Hawkmoth is basically defeated...I could tell you who I am.”   
  
The girl bit her lip before she answered. “Ask Ladybug first if it’s alright. Besides. I’m sure she would love to be the first person to know what your face looks like.”   
  
“You make a good point Princess.”   
  
“Chat Noir?” The two teens turned towards Sabine, whom had popped her head back through the opening of the trap door. “I prepared the couch downstairs for you to sleep on sweetie and there is a plate of cheese on the table. Is there anything else I could get you?”   
  
Chat shook his head. “Many thanks again Madame. You have no idea how grateful I am for your hospitality.”   
  
Marinette’s mother, once again, stepped up into her daughter’s room.   
  
“It’s just downstairs. Be careful where you walk, all the lights are off down there.”   
  
He gave her a nod, then shot his friend one last smile before walking down the stairs.   
The moment he was no longer in sight, Sabine closed the hatch.   


  
Which confused Marinette.   
  
She was so sure her mother would tell her to go to bed, follow Chat down and go to bed herself.   
  
“I take it he doesn’t know?” She suddenly asked.   
  
The girl blinked a couple of times. “Know what?”   
  
“That you’re Ladybug.”   
  
Blue orbs opened wide.   
She felt her body freeze.   
  
How long had she known!   
“W-What are you talking about?” She giggled nervously. “I’m nothing like Ladybug.”   
  
“Sweetie. You’re my daughter. Do you honestly didn’t think your father or myself wouldn’t find out eventually.”   
  
“I...I...How?”   
  
“You almost called your father ‘dad’ as Ladybug one time. We didn’t exactly miss that slip up dear and you’re always too late at school when there’s an Akuma in the morning.”   
  
“Oh darn!” A higher voice called out. “I hoped you wouldn’t find out.”   
  
A small, red, creature flew out from where Marinette’s bed was.   
  
“Oh! I recognize you!” Sabine cheerfully said while pointing at the red Kwami. “You’re the creature that takes our sugar cookies!”   
  
“What?”   
  
The young girl was beyond confused right now.   
  
“I’ve been down to the bakery sometimes, when you’re busy with homework. To get a quick snack.”    
  
“Tom and I have seen you out of the corner of our eyes a couple of times. But we weren’t sure if we imagined it or not.”   
  
“The answer is not. The name is Tikki. I’m a Kwami.”   
  
“Nice to meet you Tikki.”   
  
“You...You are taking this all very calmly mom.”   
  
“I suppose it’s easier to take it in, knowing you’re a superhero already.”   
  
“You’re okay with it? That I’m Ladybug I mean?”   
  
“We worry. Your father and I.” She confessed. “All that fighting you do.”   
  
“I’m sorry maman. But I’ve got Chat by my side and Tikki protects me as much as she when I’m transformed and it’s not like I asked to be Ladybug.”   
  
“She was chosen.” Tikki added. “But despite that she’s doing such a great job protecting the city.”   
  
“Protected.” Her mother corrected. “It should be all over now. Right? Everything should be back to normal shouldn’t it?”   
  
Marinette pulled out the pin out of her pocket to look at it once again.   
  
“It should be.” She answered her mother.   
  
The small creature frowned when she noticed the magical item.   
  
“I...I don’t know. I don’t feel any magic coming from this.”   
  
Tikki sounded disappointed.   
Slightly worried.   
  
The dark haired girl frowned as well.“What do you mean?”   
  
“I mean that, this isn’t a Miraculous. It’s a fake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnnn!!!!
> 
> An open ending and I don't know if I'll write a follow up or not since I have no ideas where to go from here just yet.


	12. I hate you, I love you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn't mean to disappear, he just thought it was a good idea. For her sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this was "I hate you".

* * *

  
  
“I hate you.”  
  
Chat Noir sighed sadly as the young girl cried against his chest.  
  
“I h-hate you.” She repeated between sobs.  
  
“I know.”  
  
“So m-much.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
Ladybug pushed herself away from the hero, rage flaring in her eyes.  
  
“You should have told me! I thought you were dead! We all did!”  
  
“I needed to hide. To keep...to keep you safe.”  
  
He wanted to say ‘everyone’. But at this point he only cared about her.  
  
“You should have told me!” A red cladded fist pounded furiously against his chest.  
  
Again and again.  
  
He didn’t flinch.  
Even though his skin started to sting from her hits, it was nothing compared to the pain he felt watching her cry the moment he approached her.  
  
“We’re a team!” She continued. “You should have told me!”  
  
“You wouldn’t have liked it.”  
  
“You bet your ass I wouldn’t!” She took a step away from him. “What makes you think faking your death without telling me, would be a good idea!”  
  
“Because--!” He held his breath the moment he noticed he was raising his voice. “Because...you got hurt.” Chat Noir continued with a softer tone in his voice. “He hurt you and I couldn’t protect you.”  
  
“I never expected you to be able to protect me all the time! It’s bad enough you think you need to protect me! That you take blows meant for me!”  
  
“You were bleeding! You--you could have died Ladybug!”  
  
“I didn’t.”  
  
Her voice sounded stern.  
Filled with stubborness he was all too familiar with.  
  
“You could have. He’s getting way too powerful. You can’t deny that.”  
  
“You could have died too.”  
  
He took a sharp breath.  
She was avoiding the subject, placing blame onto him at the same time.  
  
She was right. Of course.  
  
He was to blame.  
  
Yes, he could have died too.  
But he didn’t.  
And eventually it became part of his spur of the moment plan too.  
  
A plan that would have gone horribly wrong if he hadn’t been flung directly into the water.  
  
“I planned it like that.”  
  
“Planned it!” She spit back. “You’re telling me you planned to get thrown off this very tower!” An angry finger pointed at the metal structure beneath their feet. “That you planned for me not being able to save you! That I couldn’t find you or your body for over three months! That you...t-that you were declared d-dead by the police after two and then suddenly show up again and expect me to be okay with it?!”  
  
Her body started to shake slightly and he had to resist the urge to walk up to her again and pull her into another comforting hug.  
Chat knew she didn’t want that right now.  
She was still furious with him.  
  
Not that he could blame her.  
  
He could never blame her.  
  
And he couldn’t look straight into her, watery, blue eyes either.  
  
Not right now.  
  
Not when she was right, not when she sounded like his absence had hurt her more than anything.  
  
“D-Do you have any idea, how much I’ve cried.” Ladybug continued. “I thought I lost you! You’re important to me and I thought I lost you forever! Do you know how that feels!”  
  
Chat gave her a sad smile and a nod.  
  
“I do.” He admitted, a foggy memory of his mother’s face flashing through him. “And I’m sorry for not telling you, but...I just didn’t want you to get hurt anymore.”  
  
“I’d rather take on a million Akuma and almost die a million times, then having to tell the whole city that you were declared dead! Because that hurt Chaton! That hurt so much!”  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
“Stop saying you’re sorry and just tell me why you did something so stupid!”  
  
His hand shot forward to grasp hers. Making sure she wouldn’t take another step away from him. “I told you ‘why’ two times now. To keep you from getting hurt again.”  
  
The girl squinted her eyes. “You know I can take care of myself and you’re there the moments I can’t. So let me ask again. Why?”  
  
She was no longer shouting at him, yet her cheeks were still flustered red from her outburst and trying to control her emotions and tears.  
There was almost a venomous tone in her voice too when she spoke.  
Letting him know she was still angry with him regardless of the lack of shouting.  
  
“Can’t you guess?”  
  
“Tell. Me. Now.”  
  
So she really wanted him to say it.  
  
“Because I love you.” He noticed the features on her face soften as the words left his mouth. “I love you so much Bugaboo.”  
  
Chat pulled on her hand, pulling the girl towards him in the process.  
Strong arms wrapped around her small body and enveloped her in a hug.  
Much more gentle than the one he had given her when she had cried against him.  
  
“I love you.” He repeated once again. “And seeing you getting hurt that much...that scared the crap out of me. So I promised myself that I would never let that happen to you again.”  
  
“Faking your death wasn’t the way to do it. You scared me too you know.” Ladybug muttered against his chest, slender arms wrapping around his waist to tighten the embrace.  
  
“It was a stupid plan.” He agreed. “And I...I don’t expect you to forgive me for my stupidity. Just know I did it for your safety.”  
  
“Hawkmoth is still after our Miraculous even if he thinks your dead and it’s been SO hard without you Chaton. I felt so alone.”  
  
“I had hoped he would give up.” He admitted, pulling away slightly so he could look at her. “We know he needs them both. My ring.” Gently the boy brushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. A warm puff of breath brushing against his glove as he did so. “Your earrings.”  
  
“With one gone, there’s to use to go after the other.” She added with a slight nod.  
  
“Exactly what I was thinking too.”  
  
“I mean...it makes sense. But...it’s still a stupid plan. You really should have told me.”  
  
“I had also hoped, seeing as you actually thought I was dead, it would fool him too.”  
  
“Fooled Paris. Fooled me. Not him.”  
  
“In hindsight,I should have known.” He swallowed hard. “I..I never meant to make you cry or feel sad My Lady. That isn’t why I did what I did.”  
  
“Every plan involving us not seeing each other anymore is stupid. You should know that.” She concluded, pressing herself against him once again. “I hate you for being this stupid. I hate you.”  
  
“Well it’s a good thing I have a pretty face then.” Chat joked.  
  
He could feel her chuckle against his chest.  
A magical sound that seemed to lighten up the heavy air around them.  
  
“I hate you.”  
  
The words no longer felt like sharp stabs through his heart.  
Because he was certain that this time, she didn’t mean it.  
  
“I love you.” He pressed a kiss against the top of her head.  
  
“I..hate you.”  
  
The girl pushed herself away from him and planted a small peck against his jawline.  
Standing on the tips of her toes to reach him.  
  
It was brief.  
  
Warm.  
  
Inviting.  
  
“I love you.” Chat muttered one last time before pushing his lips softly against her own.  
  
She didn’t flinch, nor pull away.  
Ladybug simply relaxed in his arms, letting him kiss her as tenderly as he could.  
  
Savoring a mixture of sweetness and the remainder of salty tears for a few seconds before breaking away.  
  
“I love you too.”


	13. Everything is weird **

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are more reveals.  
> Also Gabe isn't a complete bastard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to 'That's just how we communicate' (Chapter 4)
> 
> No prompt for this one, just wanted to write a sequel.
> 
> Probably going to do one more chapter to wrap up this one shot story arc thing.

* * *

 

“Marinette I love you. I love both of you. But you two make zero sense.”  
  
Alya’s comment came out of nowhere.  
  
Up until now, the small group of friends had enjoyed a peaceful break in the park near the school.  
Basking in the summer sun on a bench, complaining about the heavy load of school projects their teachers dropped on them while summerbreak was only two weeks away.  
  
Normal stuff most of their classmates talked about.  
  
“Hmmm?” Marinette hummed as she look up to her best friend.  
  
The girl had been busy drawing something on Adrien’s cast with a black marker.  
His leg casually placed in her lap while she worked.  
  
“Just look at you two.” Alya continued. “I don’t know why or how, but you two have it bad for each other and it shows and it driving me insane that you’re denying it!”  
  
“Adrien and I are just friends.” The girl turned towards the boy next to her. “Right?”  
  
“Good friends.” He nodded.  
  
“Dude. Good friends don’t kiss each other, more than once, on the cheek every morning.” Nino chuckled. “Or flirt with each other as much a you two do.”  
  
“Have sickeningly sweet nicknames for each other, go from barely being friends to you,” Alya pointed at Marinette. “completely ignoring him for a week and then being practically all lovey dovey when you two are talking to each other again.”  
  
Marinette raised a brow. “Lovey dovey.”  
  
“For lack of a better term.”  
  
“I agree with Alya. I mean Adrien! You’ve been heavily flirting with her for over three months now. You’re obviously into her. Everyone in our class knows it.”  
  
“Well...yeah...can’t deny that.” The blonde’s voice was soft and sounded shy as he admitted to Nino’s argument.  
  
“Okay. I admit. Our friendship might be...weird…to some people.” Marinette sighed. “But we’re not dating.”  
  
“Not yet.” Her partner added with a small grin.  
  
“What’s holding you two back?”  
  
“I’ll bet it’s your old man.” Nino nodded towards Adrien. “We all know how strict he is.”  
  
“No. No pretty sure that’s not the reason. I mean...Mari stuck with me when I broke my leg last week and father immediately thought we were dating. He didn’t seem to have a problem with it.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
The designer sounded surprised at that statement.  
Everyone who knew Adrien and the restrictions his father frequently put on him, would know that Gabriel Agreste had a habit of keeping his son away from his friends.  
  
To have such a cold hearted man be okay with his son being in a romantic relationship, that was unexpected to say the least.  
  
“Yeah. He’s actually been letting me go a bit more the past week.” The boy continued. “He took me to the Russian ballet and hasn’t pushed me to practice playing the piano more.”  
  
“I don’t know if I should be relieved or worried to be honest.” Marinette muttered.  
  
Her partner shrugged, letting her know he wasn’t sure about it either.  
  
“If he’s not the problem, then...what is stopping you two from getting together?”  
  
It was clear to both teens that Alya was beyond confused now.  
  
“Well….eh….that’s….complicated.”  
  
This time it was both friends who raised a brow. “Complicated?”  
  
It was Adrien who had an answer ready for them.  
  
“We’re just taking things slow y’know.” He started. “Testing out our boundaries and...eh...we’re still figuring out our feelings and well...this is like a middle road where we’re comfortable in.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Well Nino...you see...for example, we are both very much comfortable giving each other nicknames and hugs and flirt with each other, but since one of us isn’t comfortable actually dating or kissing each other, yet, we tend to find middle ground so we’re not dating and I get to give her kisses on the cheek because Mari doesn’t mind that.”  
  
At this point Adrien’s explanation sounded more like rambling.  
Nevertheless, the blue eyed girl next to him nodded in agreement to every point he made.  
  
“O...kay. Still weird, but whatever works for you guys I guess.” Alya shrugged before standing up. “At least you’re not as bad as Ladybug and Chat Noir.”  
  
“Oh man yeah! Those guys are clearly dating and still deny it!”  
  
“I’m not sure why they are hiding it.” The blogger laughed. “The evidence is so clear!”  
  
“Safety reasons maybe?” Marinette guessed before focusing back on scribbling on Adrien’s cast.  
  
Nino snorted in amusement. “They aren’t doing a good job hiding it for anyone’s safety reasons.”  
  
“How so?”  
  
“Oh, hun. Don’t tell me you haven’t kept up with the Ladyblog?”  
  
“Sorry Alya.” Adrien admitted. “I’ve been busy.”  
  
“At least Mari knows.”  
  
“I should know. Shouldn’t I.”  
  
The blogger sighed. “You two. I swear.”  
  
“Just take a look at the blog when you have the time.” Nino suggested. “There are a lot of comments pointing out the obvious evidence in the vids. Those two are a thing for sure.”  
  


* * *

  
  
  
Ever since they knew about each other’s identity, Adrien had made it a habit to open up his bedroom window when he would get home.  
  
And while her unexpected visits to him wasn’t at all the same as his visits to her, the soft spoken words and sillence that would surround them felt warm and inviting all the same.  
  
This evening, her visit had been anything but unexpected.  
  
After their break outside had been over, Marinette had softly whispered to him.  
  
_“I want to talk to you about something after my patrol. Is it okay if I swing by?”  
_  
The tone in her voice had been slightly anxious, as if there was something heavy on her mind.  
He had merely nodded  
Not really sure why she wanted to talk to him or why she wanted to talk in his room specifically.  
But any excuse to spend time with her was a good one in his book.  
  
The moment the girl swung into his room, she dropped her transformation and began to speak before he could even greet her.  
  
“Do you think we’re weird?”  
  
Adrien blinked a couple of times. “Weird how?”  
  
“Us. Our friendship. Do you think it’s weird?”  
  
“Is this because of what Alya and Nino said.”  
  
She nodded slightly before plopping down on his bed.  
Taking out a cookie for her Kwami.  
  
“Do **you** think it’s weird?” The boy asked instead.  
  
“No. No. Of course not.” She shook her head. “It’s like you said, we’re comfortable like this...being in this...this...thing, between friendship and dating. It’s just….”  
  
“You don’t like that others think it’s weird.”  
  
Marinette nodded. “I feel like we’re doing something wrong, while we’re not. Just because Alya said it...and your father and that nurse thought that we were a thing and...have you seen the videos on the ladyblog?”  
  
Brief flashes of the few images and videos he had seen raced through his head.  
  
Times he had casually put a hand on her hip.  
  
Gave her a kiss on the cheek before she had to leave.  
  
Moments she had leaned against him during extremely brief interviews with the press.  
  
No wonder the city thought they were a thing wearing the masks, but now people thought the same outside of them too.  
  
“That’s all on me.” He tried to reason. “It just...ended up bleeding into each other you know. The way we are now and the way we are as partners. It just doesn’t feel like two different things anymore.”  
  
“I’m not complaining.” Marinette muttered. “I like what we have. With or without the masks.”  
  
“But you two do need to be more careful.” Tikki chirped. “If someone links both of you with your superhero selves, because of how you act around each other well….”  
  
“Hawkmoth can too.” Plagg finished with a yawn.  
  
“We don’t need that.”  
  
“Definitely don’t need that.” She agreed.  
  
“But I don’t think we should feel guilty either. We’re happy how we are now and--”  
  
Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall outside of his room.  
Adrien’s eyes went wide and he rushed the girl to her feet.  
Shoving her clumsily into his bathroom, barely being able to lean on his crutches as he did so.  
  
“It must be father. Hide!” He hissed into her ear before closing the door quickly.  
  
Not even a few seconds later a distinctive knock was heard on the entrance to his bedroom.  
Followed by the door opening and his father coming into view.  
  
He shot the man a sheepish smile and leaned against the bathroom door, as if to shield Marinette off even further from him.  
  
“H-Hello father.”  
  
Gabriel merely gave a small nod to greet him back. “Son. I feel it is time that we need have a talk.”  
  
“O-Oh. Okay. Yeah sure.” He cleared his throat. “What would you like to talk about father?”  
  
The man didn’t answer immediately and Adrien prayed that nobody in the room behind him would make a peep and pierce the sudden silence.  
  
“You are at an age....” Gabriel began. “...an age where you might be attracted to other people.”  
  
Oh no.  
  
Oh no not this.  
  
Was he really going to? Right now?  
  
“Pretty sure I haven’t reached that age father. Too busy with school and stuff.” He answered back, trying to steer the man away from a incredibly awkward conversation topic.  
  
“I thought so too, until I saw you talking to your classmate last week. What was her name again...Mary-something.”  
  
“Marinette.”  
  
The man nodded. “Marinette. You insisted that you were just friends, but I have serious doubts about that if I’m being honest.”  
  
“I appreciate your honesty father. But I assure you, we are just friends. Close friends.”  
  
“Yet you didn’t look at her as if she was a friend.”  
  
“I...I didn’t?”  
  
“You had this...look of endearment on your face Adrien.”  
  
“I-I did?”  
  
The boy almost felt frightened.  
If his father had noticed such a small thing, what else had he noticed.  
  
“You sound surprised.”  
  
“I...I just didn’t think you would notice such a thing. That anyone would notice it to be honest.”  
  
Of course that wasn’t true.  
  
Nino had nudged his side plenty of times in the past few months and had let him know that he was staring at Marinette again with ‘that kind of look’ on his face.  
  
Alya had noticed it too and Kim had teased him about it a couple of times.  
  
“I’m trying to notice. After you what you have said.”  
  
The boy looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face.  
  
“What exactly did I say? If you don’t mind me asking father.”  
  
The man cleared his throat before answering. “Is that the only thing you haven’t noticed about me.” He quoted. “You were right. I have failed to notice a lot of things about you son.”  
  
Adrien shifted uncomfortably. Shifting weight from his good leg to his crutch and back.  
Not really sure what to say.  
  
He did remember telling him that, but it had been in a moment of pure frustration.  
A hug should just not be followed up by noticing something as mundane as a ‘new’ ring.  
Even if in reality his ring was anything but plain.  
  
But that wasn’t something his father needed to know.  
  
“I failed to notice how grown up you’ve actually become.” His father continued. “I failed to see how unhappy you actually were until I saw you smiling when you said goodbye to your classmate last week. I failed to see a lot of things. Things I’m only now beginning to notice.”  
  
He honestly wasn’t sure how to respond to his father’s sudden open demeanor.  
  
Gabriel stepped forward and placed a hand on top of his shoulder.  
  
“One of those things being that I know you are enamored with the girl.”  
  
Adrien nodded slowly.  
Half expecting a lecture on how she wasn’t worthy for him, or something like that.  
  
But his father responded with something much more unexpected.  
  
“I’m glad.”  
  
“Y-You are? Why?”  
  
The fashion designer was about to answer when his son raised his hand to stop him.  
  
“No wait. Let me guess. It’s because I told you we’re just friends, so you guessed she doesn’t feel the same way right? And that it’s a good thing because she’s not from our social environment or something like that.”  
  
“Not at all. I’m glad because she seems to be the one that makes you that happy.” He removed his hand from the boy’s shoulder. “Nevertheless I would still very much like to invite her and her parents over for dinner sometime. Even if you two are just friends.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
Again the man nodded. “And your other friend too. The boy who insisted I’d throw you a birthday party last year.”  
  
“Nino?”  
  
“I believe I owe him an apology. He had your best interest at heart and I didn’t see it that way at the time.”  
  
“I-I’ll be sure to ask.”  
  
“Good. Let me or Nathalie know which day will be convenient for them.”  
Gabriel turned around, ready to make his leave, when the boy halted him.  
  
“Father. If I may ask, why the change all of a sudden? I honestly didn’t expect this from you.”  
  
Again a moment of silence fell before the the man answered.  
  
“We’ll discuss this further after dinner. There is something I wish to tell you Adrien. Something important.”  
  
“Alright father.”  
  
The moment his bedroom door closed with a soft click, all kinds of thoughts raced through the boy’s head.  
  
He wanted to apologize? To Nino?  
  
His father had been stubborn and cold, there was no way he would ever do that.  
Let alone take that much interest in his friend circle.  
  
On top of that, he still had no clue why he wanted to meet Marinette’s parents too.  
  
Did he had the same mindset like the rest of Paris had these days, when it came to the heroes being a couple or not?  
Only he wasn’t focused on his alter ego and that of Marinette.  
  
It seemed weird.  
  
“Adrien?” A soft voice muttered from the other side of the bathroom door. “Is it safe to come out.”  
  
“Y-Yeah. Come on out Bug.”  
  
Marinette stepped back into the bedroom, only to be met her bewildered looking partner.  
  
“You okay?” She asked softly.  
  
“You...You just heard all of that right?”  
  
Marinette nodded. “Should I check outside if the apocalypse hasn’t started? I’m sure this is a sign of impending doom or something.”  
  
He chuckled lightly at her joke. “It’s just...weird. He hasn’t been like this since mom…”  
  
His words seemed to trail off as he mentioned his mother.  
Holding his breath for a few seconds before continuing.  
  
“But even then, he wasn’t like this.”  
  
“I’m not sure what to think about this to be honest.”  
  
“Me neither.” The boy sighed. “I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing.”  
  
“You have my number right?”  
  
“On speed dial even.” Plagg teased as he zipped out of his hiding spot.  
  
“Good. Call me if things go south okay and keep me updated Kitty. Just in case.”  
  
Adrien plopped down on the bed, letting his injured leg rest on a pillow. “Sound like you’re worried about me Mari.”  
  
“Of course I am. Your father is acting weird. What if he’s Akumatized or something. I don’t want you to get even more hurt. Especially since you can’t really run away with that.”  
  
She nodded towards his cast.  
  
“I’ll try to be careful.”  
  
The dark haired girl pouted playfully before sitting down next to him. “You better. I don’t want to lose you.”  
  
She started to lean towards him.  
He was half expecting a hug from her, or at the very least a cuddle, yet halfway through she stopped and moved back again.  
  
“Something on your mind?”  
  
“I...I was just wondering if it will be alright for me to cheek your kiss. I mean! Kiss your cheek!”  
  
“Was that what you were trying to do just now?” He chuckled slightly. “You know you don’t have to ask me My Lady.”  
  
“You asked me when you started kissing me all over for the first time. Seemed like the right thing to ask you back.”  
  
Adrien gave a nod in understanding. “You can kiss me everywhere you like. Even here.” He tapped his lips with a playful smirk on his face.  
  
All Marinette gave him was a roll of the eyes and a slight shake of her head before grabbing his head and pulling it gently towards her.  
Placing a soft peck on his cheek before letting go.  
It was brief, but warm.  
  
Exactly what he needed after witnessing his father’s sudden change of heart.  
Because it felt new, yet familiar enough to calm his nerves.  
  
“I’m not ready to kiss you there.” The heroine whispered softly. “Not yet.”  
  
“Someday?”  
  
“Maybe.” She gave him another peck.  
  
“Then I’ll wait until you’re ready.” He kissed her forehead in return. “I’ll adapt to you Mari. Like I’ve always done.”  
  
The girl gave a short and happy humm in reply.  
Adrien half expected her to tease him, but instead she changed the subject.  
Immediately he had the vague feeling that he had made her uncomfortable with what he had said.  
  
Even if it was true.  
  
He was used to adapting to her at this point.  
  
That was part of what made them such a good team in the first place.  
  
He was able to roll with the punches and play along with her plans perfectly.  
  
It only seemed natural to him to do the same when it came to their strange relationship.  
  
“Are you sure you’ll be okay, with your father acting all nice all of a sudden. I’m sure we can think up something so I can keep you company tonight.” Pink lips softly muttered.  
  
“You mean stay for dinner?” He grinned. “Father did say he wanted to have you over.”  
  
“With my parents.” She reminded him. “It sounds safer having more adults around anyway.”  
  
“That and your father can snap mine in half if he wants to.”  
  
Next to him she giggled softly.  
Knowing very well how big and strong her father looked.  
  
“I’d feel safer if he was in the room.”  
  
“I’ll pass on the message.” Marinette laughed, pushing herself away from him. “Maybe your father just wants to make more friends.”  
  
He nodded. “Maybe. I’ll ask him about it tonight.”  
She leaned back against him and shifted slightly on the bed to find a more comfortable position. “Good.”  
  
“You’re not going to fall asleep on me are you Princess?”  
  
Marinette let out another happy humm, wrapping her arm around his torso.  
  
“Half an hour?”  
  
Who was he to deny such a simple request.  
  
“Alright. I’ll wake you up in half an hour.”  
  
He placed another kiss on the top of her head before letting her peacefully fall asleep against him.  
  


* * *

  
  
  
When dinner had passed and Ladybug had long since gone back home, Adrien wasn’t feeling that anxious anymore about his father acting so strangely.  
  
He had tried to ask Nathalie about it during dinner, but she had merely shot him a warm smile and told him not to worry.  
  
Words he believed for a whole ten minutes, before his father had called him into his office.  
  
A place the more serious talks between them took place.  
He had always felt like he had been talked to as an employee of Gabriel’s in that room, rather than a son and it didn’t do much to calm his nerves down further.  
  
“Please take a seat.” Gabriel gestured to a large lounge chair in front of the man’s desk.  
  
The blonde nodded slightly and hobeled his way over, supporting himself with his crutches.  
  
As always, Nathalie stood next to his father.  
Looking stoic, arms folded behind her back as if she was part of a militia of some sort.  
Waiting patiently for his father to give out an order.  
  
He couldn't remember her being any other way.  
  
“You seem nervous.”  
  
He smiled sheepishly at the man before answering. “I am.”  
  
“How so?”  
  
“Well, you did say you wanted to discuss something important with me and you’ve been acting so different so...that makes me a bit nervous.” He swallowed hard. “I’m afraid…….I’m afraid you’re going to tell me some bad news.”  
  
“Don’t worry my son. In a way, what I’m going to tell you tonight could be considered bad, but nothing catastrophic I assure you.”  
  
Adrien frowned, patiently waiting to hear what his father had to say next, yet not liking one bit where their conversation seemed to headed.  
Even if they would make it past that point, would he answer all the questions he had.  
  
“Bad how exactly?”  
  
The older man sighed. “It’s better if I show you.”  
  
Nathalie stepped away from both of them as Gabriel stood up from chair.  
Pushing himself up from his desk as he did so, muttering something under his breath Adrien couldn’t quite catch.  
  
What he did manage to see however was the horde of butterfly appearing seemingly out of nowhere, engulfing his father.  
  
His eyes went wide at the frightening sight before him.  
  
He had nowhere to run with his injured leg.  
Yet he still scanned the room on instinct, hoping to see a possible exit.  
  
His father’s assistant was blocking the door.  
The office didn’t have any windows.  
  
The air vent was way too small for just him alone.  
But maybe he could shove Plagg in there so he could get Marinette to help him out.  
  
The thought hadn’t even left his head when the butterflies disappeared and Hawkmoth stood where his father once did.  
  
“Y-You! You!”  
  
Adrien tried to make himself as small as possible in the chair.  
Grasping the leather of it as tightly as he could.  
  
“Adrien. Please calm down.”  
  
“You...You’re him?! You’re Hawkmoth!”  
  
“I am.”  
  
The boy raised one of his crutches and held it up in defence.  
  
“If you think I’m going to let you Akumatize me you’re dead wrong!”  
  
Adrenaline rushed through him.  
His heart seemed to pound so hard is almost hurt.  
  
And not only because of all the emotions running through him and the sudden fear for his own father.  
  
“Son. Please calm down. I am not going to Akumatize you.” Hawkmoth calmly stated.  
  
“I’m not joining the dark side either!” Adrien yelled out right afterwards, raising his crutch even higher in defence. “I’m not going to help you get Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s Miraculous!”  
  
“Adrien.” The villain repeated. “Please try to calm down. I don’t want your Miraculous anymore.”  
  
“W-What? M-My Miraculous?”  
  
“I know you’re Chat Noir. I’ve known for a little while now.” He elaborated. Still staying calm.  
  
“W-What? How?”  
  
His weapon of defence lowered slightly.  
  
“One of the security cameras caught you sneaking out of the house as Chat Noir.” The man simply explained. “And sneaking back in a few hours later.”  
  
“That won’t change anything.” The boy boldly exclaimed. “I’m not going to help you get her Miraculous either.”  
  
“She’s your partner right? That girl. Marinette was it?”  
  
His whole body stiffened at the sound of her name.  
Plagg, whom he had stowed away in the inside of his shirt as usual, whispered a short ‘transform’ to him.  
Most likely to help the boy get out of their situation.  
  
But even transformed, Adrien didn’t see any way out.  
Not when he was injured.  
  
Was that why his father decided to drop this sudden truth bomb on him?  
Because he was fragile?  
  
“Stay away from **her**!” He hissed towards the man.  
  
“I intend to.”  
  
For a moment, neither of them said a word.  
  
“There’s an ‘if you’ coming isn’t there?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“No?”  
  
“No. I was blinded Adrien. Blinded by power, blinded knowing I could bring your mother back with the power of both of those Miraculous.” Hawkmoth pulled the butterfly pin loose from his clothing.  
  
A purple light washed over him and the remains of a Kwami was sucked back into the piece of jewelry.  
Letting Gabriel Agreste once again sit before the boy.  
  
“I was wrong.” The man admitted. “I was so focused on getting her back, that I failed to see that you needed a parent. That you were grieving too. That I was beginning to lose you and was pushing you away.”  
  
He swallowed hard.  
  
“I...I just thought that if I got her back, everything would work out and go back like it used to be. But that was before I knew you were Chat Noir. Before you got injured.” He nodded towards Adrien’s broken leg. “Because of me.”  
  
“Wasn’t the first time.”  
  
“I know. And I deeply regret everything I’ve ever done to you or her.”  
  
“You hurt a lot more people than just Marinette and myself.”  
  
“I...I am aware, and...I want to do better Adrien.”  
  
Unexpectedly, his father shoved the Butterfly Miraculous his way.  
  
“Take it to her and let her bring it somewhere safe.”  
  
“You’re...You’re giving it up? Without a fight?”  
  
“I don’t wish to fight my own son. I don’t wish for you to choose between me or her. Not when she’s the reason you’re smiling so brightly.”  
  
“Is this even real? Is this really happening?” The boy wondered out loud.  
  
“I’ll be the judge of that!” Plagg shouted before flying out of his hiding spot.  
  
During the entire conversation, he had felt the Kwami twitch restlessly.  
But even with this unexpected turn of events, he still wasn’t as calm as he usually was.  
Snatching the butterfly Miraculous from the table as quickly as he could.  
  
Holding the pin between his paws, the cat bit down on one of the wings a couple of times.  
A soft sound of teeth colliding with metal echoed through the silence.  
  
“Yeah. This is the real deal.” He grumbled. Throwing the pin into Adrien’s lap. “Not a fake.”  
  
“Why would you think it would be fake?”  
  
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Plagg asked Gabriel back. “At this point, after everything you’ve done, it’s hard to believe we’re not being bamboozled here.”  
  
“I assure you, I am being sincere this time.”  
  
“But there’s a catch isn’t there.” The young boy cautiously stated. “You’re not just giving us your Miraculous without wanting something in return right?”  
  
“That’s right. There is something that I desire more than wanting your mother back to us. More than life itself.”  
  
“What might that be.”  
  
“You can keep my Miraculous, but in return I want a second chance.”  
  
“What?”  
  
Adrien was beyond confused right now.  
Nothing today seemed to make sense to him.  
  
The way his friends had pointed out how weird his relationship with Marinette was to the public eye.  
  
The way his seemingly cold father, suddenly opened up to him without reason.  
  
Or the way that he would find out said father was actually a supervillain.  
  
One that wasn’t acting how he expected him to act.  
  
At all.  
  
It was almost as if he was having a weird dream.  
  
Or if he had woken up in some strange reality where nothing made sense.  
  
“Opposed to….?”  
  
“Opposed to telling the authorities that I was the one responsible for all the Akuma. I...I want to make things right son. For both of us, but mostly for you. I want to try to be a family again, just the two of us. But I can’t make amends if I’m locked up in jail, leaving you all alone.”  
  
“He wants an ‘get out of jail’ free card!” Plagg laughed.  
  
Though Adrien couldn’t quite tell if his Kwami was really amused or just being sarcastic.  
  
“I...I….”  
  
“I’ll understand if you need time to think about this.”  
  
The boy didn't need time.  
  
“I’ll give you a chance. Just one.”  
  
Relief washed over Gabriel’s face. 

“And I don’t expect us to get along perfectly or to be able to pretend that all of this didn’t happen. And I do understand why you did that...it’s just...not right to get her back while you make other people suffer….I just...I just want a father again.”  
  
“I’m happy to--”  
  
The boy raised his hand to stop his father from speaking.  
  
“I do have some conditions however.”  
  
Gabriel cleared his throat before speaking again. “Very well. Let’s hear them.”  
  
“For one thing...I’m not going to stop being Chat Noir.”  
  
His father nodded. “I never expected you to stop being a superhero and you’ve proven to be skilled enough to keep yourself safe.”  
  
“That I’m giving you a chance also doesn’t mean I’m forgiving you for what you’ve done.”  
  
He could still feel his heart pounding hard and fast.  
  
“I know I couldn’t ask you for forgiveness. Nor do I ask for it son. I am well aware I need to earn it.”  
  
“And lastly, you’re not going to tell anyone. And I do mean **anyone** , about our secret identities.”  
  
“That goes for you too!” Plagg added, pointing at Nathalie.  
  
Again he nodded. “That’s a given. Anything else? Less piano lessons maybe? Less modeling? More time with your friends?”  
  
“While I would like that...when the time comes...I will come to you talk about it. Like any child would.”  
  
“Most of them anyway.” The black cat muttered.  
  
Another nod from his father. “I understand son.”  
  
“Any...Any more secrets you want to throw on the table by chance? I mean...we’re both here anyway.”  
  
“You know everything now Adrien. I have no more secrets to tell you. Do you?”  
  
The boy shook his head before standing up.  
Having no desire to stay in the room for much longer with a man he thought he knew.  
Yet it felt more like there was a complete stranger before him he had called 'father' all these years.  
  
He had to tell her.  
  
Quickly too.  
  
Before his father changed his mind and would strangle him in his sleep or something similar.  
  
Because at this point, he didn’t know what the man was capable of and how sincere he meant everything he had said.  
  
No matter how hard he wanted to believe his father wanted to change for the better.  
Right now putting that much trust into that man, wasn’t a risk he wanted to take.  
Hawkmoth had been unpredictable after all.  
  
“I...I euhm...I need to lay down for a few minutes father.”  
  
“I understand. It’s a lot to take in.”  
  
“Yeah...Yeah it is.”  
  
The moment he stood up from the chair, he felt his legs wobble underneath him.  
At this point he was glad he had the crutches near him for support.  
Otherwise he doubted he would have been able to stand up at all.  
  
“Perhaps you should sit down for a bit longer Adrien.”  
  
“I’m fine.” The boy breathed. “I’m fine. Just...need to think. Need to lay down. Come to terms that you were Hawkmoth, actively trying to hurt us and everything.”  
  
Suddenly he felt a bit of weight being added to the top of his head.  
Plagg no doubt.  
  
“I do want to know one thing.” He turned his head back to Gabriel. “How did you find out Mari was Ladybug?”  
  
“I wasn’t certain until I saw the videos on the Ladyblog and noticed you interacting with her. It seemed familiar. Very familiar.”  
  
“Ah. I see. Thank you father...for being honest with me.”  
  
With slow steps, he left the office.  
Not even noticing the sad smile his father gave him.  
Only stopping to lean back against the door Nathalie had just closed behind him.  
  
Trying to gather strength.  
  
Trying to breathe.  
  
Trying to keep his heartbeat at a steady pace.  
  
“I’m going to bite his nose off if he does anything funny.” He could hear Plagg mutter. “Who knew that Hawkmoth was right in front of us this entire time!”  
  
“She knew.” He whispered, referring to Ladybug. “She suspected it a long time ago. Then...father got Akumatized later that day.”  
  
“He Akumatized himself.” The Kwami corrected.  
  
He needed to tell her as soon as possible.  
Tell her everything.  
  


* * *

  
  
“Did...did I do the right thing Nathalie?”  
  
Gabriel’s question sounded soft and was asked with a tone of uncertainty.  
  
“You did Sir.” She assured him. “Just give it time and you’ll see you did the right thing.”  
  
“I still believe he would have been happier if she was brought back.”  
  
“He’s happy now. She wasn’t going to live forever Sir and neither are you. At some point he had to deal with loss and overcome it.” She gave him a patient smile. “And he has in a way. You’ve seen that. You’re the one that hasn’t made peace with it yet, and that’s alright, but it was wrong to shut him out.”  
  
He buried his face in his hands and nodded.  
  
“I just...want to make things right.”  
  
“You will. In time.”  
  
“Will you help me Nathalie?”  
  
“That’s what you’re paying me to do Sir. So I will.”  
  
He chuckled lightly at her reply.  
Tears falling down on the desk as the chuckle transitioned into a light sobbing.  
  
Her slender hand started to rub circles on his back.  
Never had she seen her boss this fragile.  
  
Never had she seen him cry.  
  
He had always been cold, distant, rather emotionless.  
  
But now, it seemed there had been a heavy weight lifted off his shoulders.  
  
“It will be okay.” She once again assured him. “It will be okay.”  
  
Though she really did wonder if things would be okay.  
The boy hadn’t been told every secret Gabriel Agreste carried with him after all.  


 

* * *

  
  
“You’re alive!” Marinette joked once she saw his face pop up on her tablet screen after accepting his video call.  
  
“Barely.” He told her with a smile. “I’ve seen the face of death tonight My Lady.”  
  
“And it didn’t look pretty.” Plagg’s voice was heard in the background.  
  
“Was it that bad? The talk with your father I mean.”  
  
“Could have been worse.” He muttered. “Could have been better too.”  
  
She tilted her head in confusion. “What did he say?”  
  
“Let me ask you a question first.”  
  
“Okay?”  
  
“What would you do if I told you I have Hawkmoth’s Miraculous in front of me right now?”  
  
“I’d come rushing to you and give you a stern scolding for going after Hawkmoth alone.” She bluntly told him. “But since I broke your leg, I know you wouldn’t even be able to do that if you wanted to.”  
  
“Well….”  
  
She watched as a purple pin came into view, which was immediately obscured by a red blob obscuring her vision to the screen.  
  
“That is it! That’s the butterfly Miraculous! I’d recognize it anywhere!”  
  
Marinette moved her head to the side so she was able to look passed Tikki and back on the screen. “Where did you get it?”  
  
“Funny story actually. Hawkmoth is my father.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“And he gave me his Miraculous, because indirectly he’s the one that broke my leg and he knows I’m Chat Noir, and he felt guilty and wants to improve himself. I think.” The boy continued on.  
  
“What?!”  
  
“So I guess we defeated Hawkmoth in the most anti-climactic way possible.” He gave a light shrug and a toothy grin.  
  
“Adrien! What did you do?!”  
  
“Why do you think I did something?”  
  
“No! I mean...what did you promise him.” She huffed. “Your father doesn’t seem like the type to just give up his Miraculous. Especially knowing now he’s Hawkmoth.”  
  
“Nothing. I didn’t promise him anything. He...he feels regret Mari. He wants to make things right. All I’m giving him in return for this…” He held up the Miraculous once again. “...is one more chance to try and be a better person.”  
  
“You’re asking a lot from him.”  
  
“His offer actually, not mine. I was ready to hit him with my crutch the moment he transformed in front of me.”  
  
“He did what?!”  
  
“Legit thought I was going to die at that point. I’m still shaking slightly.”  
  
“Should I come over?” She swallowed. “Do you want me to come over?”  
  
He shook his head. “It’s getting pretty late and we’ll see each other at school tomorrow anyway. I’ll put the pin away safely and give it to you in the morning okay.”  
  
“Are you sure? I mean...it wouldn’t be too much trouble to drop by.”  
  
“As much as I’d love to sleep in your arms again Bugaboo, I’m pretty sure I’d still be in serious trouble if father finds out there is an uninvited girl sleeping in my room.”  
  
“Alright. Point taken.”  
  
“I’ll keep an eye on him!” Again it was Plagg shouting in the distance.  
  
“Plagg was really fierce today too for some reason. It helped in some strange way.”  
  
“Aww he does care.”  
  
“Maybe he’s just getting soft.”  
  
“I am not!”  
  
“Plagg always cares. He just doesn’t show it often.” Tikki giggled.  
  
“Get some sleep ladybugs then these kitties will do the same.” Adrien joked, giving them both a wink.  
  
“Alright. If you’re sure. I’ll see you tomorrow then Chaton. Sleep well.”  
  
“Sleep well Bug.”  
  
She waited until the screen went back to let out a long breath.  
One she didn’t even know she was holding until she sighed.  
  
“You’re worried?”  
  
“I...I just don’t trust his father. That’s all. Right now even less than before.” Marinette muttered.  
  
“People do change. Just look at Chloé!”  
  
“Chloé didn’t change so fast it would give someone a whiplash. No...No I’m worried about Adrien.”  
  
“He’s got Plagg with him. I could tell from his voice, he isn’t happy with how this played out either.”  
  
“We should be. I mean...Hawkmoth is sort of gone now.”  
  
“You can have a normal sleeping schedule again. For now anyway.”  
  
“You’re right Tikki. We can never be too vigilant! Who knows what other baddies are lurking in the shadows of Paris.”  
  
“I’m sure you and Chat Noir can handle them.” The red Kwami nodded. “You’re a great team.”  
  
“Thank you. But that doesn’t make me less concerned about Adrien.”  
  
“What do you want to do about it?”  
  
“I want to get some hot cocoa and go on a stakeout near Adrien’s house tonight. But…”  
  
“But?”  
  
“But if he says it’s going to be fine. I’ll have to trust him. He has my number on speed dial so...I’ll just keep one eye open tonight and my phone close. Just in case.”  
  
“I’m proud of you Marinette. It’s always difficult doing the right thing with these kinds of situations. Sometimes it’s better to just see how things will go. Especially if Adrien’s father means what he said.”  
  
“I hope he does. I really do. For his sake.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	14. Home ***

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is a Lady to do when her kitty can't return home?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for this one was 'I swear the blood is fake'.  
> This actually started out as a thing for Marichat May, going with the 'you're injured please stay' theme for day one.  
> But it ended up as a sequel to chapter 11.
> 
> Oops?
> 
> Probably going to have a third chapter attached to it to wrap this all up because I have ideas for an ending.

* * *

 

“I swear, the blood is fake!”  
  
Of all the greetings she expected of him, this wasn’t one of them.   
  
Marinette’s eyes widened as she watched Chat Noir stumble, unannounced into her room.   
One hand holding his shoulder, the other hanging limply at his side.   
Something faintly glistening on his glove and parts of the black of his suit.   
  
“Are you injured?!” The girl asked in shock, dropping the fabric she had been holding up.   
  
“I did tell you the blood is fake.” The hero smiled sheepishly.   
  
“Adrien.” She sighed.   
  
“Okay. Okay. Mostly fake.”   
  
Marinette beckoned him closer. “What happened?”   
  
“Had a run in with my father….Hawkmoth.” The boy sighed, plopping down on the ground. “Did you know he had a cane-sword? Because I sure didn’t.”   
  
She sighed once again. “You shouldn’t fight him on your own!” Carefully the girl kneeled down beside him. “It’s bad enough that you feel that you need to live on the streets after trying to take his Miraculous. Which is still ridiculous by the way.”   
  
“If I had manage to get the real thing I didn’t need to.” The boy grumbled. “It’s dangerous to go back.”   
  
Gentle fingers pushed his own away from the wound. “Let me see.” Marinette softly muttered.   
  
He did as he was told, moving his hand away to reveal a large gash on his shoulder.   
Still bleeding ever so slightly.   
The coppery smell becoming stronger the closer she leaned in to inspect the wound.   
  
“Fake blood my ass.”   
  
“Didn’t want to make you worried.” He muttered back. “You worry too much for me already.”   
  
“Of course I do Adrien! I care about you! No matter how many stupid things you do.”   
  
Again she sighed, running a hand through her bangs in frustration.   
  
“Listen. You should really stop trying to solve this on your own and ask for help.”   
  
“I don’t want to involve too many people. It’s dangerous enough that I was careless and de-transformed the night I ended up crashing here. That you and your family found out my identity and who Hawkmoth is!”   
  
“We would have found out eventually!” She argued back. “Your father reported you missing. You haven’t been to school in weeks! Chat has been sighted more and more each day. Don’t you think I would have figured out you and Chat are the same person.”   
  
The boy tried to smile. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you Mari. You’re smart. You would have figured it out. But…”   
  
“No!” She sternly told him. “I don’t want to hear anymore excuses! You can’t handle this alone. You can’t just expect me to be okay with how you’re dealing with this.”   
  
“He’s my father Marinette!”   
  
“And he’s not just your problem!” The girl huffed back. “He’s everyone’s problem at this point. We all want to help you as much as we can.”   
  
“I don’t want you to help! I don’t want you to be in danger! I’ll deal with this!”   
  
“Oh yeah!” She snorted sarcastically. “I can see how you’re dealing with it!”   
  
She gently pushed on the bleeding wound, making Chat hiss out in pain.   
  
“Sorry.”   
  
“No...I...I get it. I...I just didn’t see any other way to solve this.” He let out a deep sigh. “And maybe I’m running away from it a little. I just...don’t want anyone to get hurt. I don’t want to lose anyone else I care about.”   
  
“I understand that Adrien, but...this isn’t the way to do it and you know it.”   
  
“I can’t go back to him. I tried to get some clean clothes from my room today and look where it got me.”   
  
“You tried to break in?”   
  
He shrugged and gave her a short nod. “It worked perfectly the other times when I had to get something from there. I mean...I’ve already tried to steal his Miraculous. Might as well rob him from some necessities too.”  
  
Once again she sighed.  
  
“Stay here tonight.”   
  
“No. No I can’t.”   
  
“Get a nice hot shower a good meal. Maman is making dumplings to go with dinner.”   
  
“I can’t Mari.”   
  
“We can play a video game together. You don’t have to go out in the cold. We have cheese. You can give Plagg a good break.”   
  
“If he knows I’m here…”   
  
“He won’t know.”   
  
A moment of silence fell between the two. Intense green eyes stared into calm blue ones.   
  
“Alright. Just for tonight Princess.” He shot her a small smile. “Claws in.”   
  
A wave of green light washed over him, melting away his superhero costume to reveal the green eyed boy underneath.   
His skin looked dirty, his hair unkept and his clothes looked a bit worn out.   
  
The little cat Kwami immediately snuggled against his chosen. Muttering something about being hungry and cold and the boy being crazy.   
  
“Didn’t you have a coat?”   
  
“I had. Then there was this old lady at the homeless shelter who was freezing so I gave it to her.”   
  
“Oh Adrien.” Marinette sighed shaking her head.   
  
“Good deeds like that will kill you one day kid.”   
  
“Good deeds like that makes me a hero.” The boy shot back.   
  
Plagg merely let out a snort of amusement.   
  
“Can you stand? To take a shower I mean? I can dress your wounds better when you’re all clean.”   
  
Adrien gave another short nod. “Thank you by the way. For helping me out like this every time.”   
  
“You should let me help you out more. That you drop by for a meal and a quick wash-up sometimes doesn’t make me worry for you less you know.”   
  
“Because I sleep outside.”   
  
She nodded.   
  
“He’s crazy.” Plagg agreed. “It’s so nice and toasty here!”   
  
“But if father would find out I come here all the time then...I don’t even want to know what he’ll do to you. To your parents. I don’t want to risk that.”   
  
“This isn’t solving anything either you know.”   
  
“I know.”   
She stood back up and offered him her hand.   
  
“Let me take care of you. Not just for tonight.”   
  
“I can’t ask you to do that.”   
  
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.”   
  
The boy looked away, not taking her hand.   
  
“For the love of cheeseballs just take her offer Adrien! I’m so sick of running and hiding and trying to keep you warm at night and living on the street like a stray!”   
  
“Hey! I’m the one keeping you warm!”   
  
“Enough from both of you! Just...Just stay for tonight then.”   
  
“Fine.”   
  
He took her hand and she pulled him up with strength he wasn’t even aware she had.   
  
“Just for tonight.” She repeated.   
  
“Just for tonight.”

 

* * *

  
  
The moment Adrien disappeared into her bathroom and Plagg was munching on a piece of cheese on the kitchen counter, Marinette rushed down to the bakkery.   
  
She found her parents talking and cleaning as they closed up the shop.   
The last remaining strands of sunlight barely illuminating the place.   
  
“Maman! Papa!”   
  
“Marinette. I didn’t think you would finish your homework so soon.”   
  
She shook her head.   
  
“You have to help me.”   
  
“With your homework? Is there a something you don’t understand sweetheart?” Her father asked, putting away an empty tray.   
  
“No. No not with homework. Adrien dropped by just now. He’s taking a shower and he’s hurt.”   
  
Sabine gasped slightly at the news.   
  
“His father hurt him. He...he won’t listen to me. Says it’s too dangerous to keep staying here. I was wondering if...you could help me convince him? I’m afraid he’ll get hurt way more if he doesn’t.”   
  
Both adults exchanged a look.   
  
“Marinette. I...I don’t know if we can convince him to stay.”   
  
“He knows the situation much better than we do.” Her father added. “Even if I absolutely agree with you my darling daughter.”   
  
“Papa. He’s living on the streets. It’s going to be winter soon. He already gave away his coat to a homeless lady because he’s too nice for his own damn good! He’ll freeze to death at this rate.”   
  
Sabine exchanged a look with her husband. “Tom.”   
  
“I know. I know. Alright. We’ll try.”   
  
Marinette let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding.   
  
“Thank you! Both of you!”   
  
“Did he even ask you for help? Ladybug I mean.”   
  
The girl shook her head at her mother's question.   
  
“He hasn’t brought it up during patrols. He just laughs it off when I try to ask him about it and what’s bothering him and at this point I’m afraid to tell him the truth.”   
  
A large hand was put on her shoulder.   
  
“I’m sure it’s for the same reason he doesn’t want to stay here during the night.”   
  
“To keep us safe.” Marinette added to her father’s reasoning. “I know. But...Ladybug protects Paris too. I can help him papa.”   
  
“You have to look at it from his side too.” Her mother began. “It’s probably easy to defeat Hawkmoth with the two of you, but after that he’ll lose his father. He’ll be all alone. Maybe that’s what is holding him back from telling Ladybug and asking for help.”   
  
“Wandering on the streets doesn’t help either.”   
  
“No it doesn’t. But you know how he is Marinette. He probably either thinks he’s an inconvenience by asking to stay or that it’s the easiest way to keep everyone he cares about safe.”   
  
“That’s stupid.” The young girl grumbled. “He’s practically family at this point. He’s just being stupid. Like always.”   
  
“Or he thinks he’s doing the right thing. Be honest, the boy doesn’t have many options to pick from considering his situation.” Her mother gently explained.   
  
“I..I guess.”   
  
“But we will try and convince him to stay here. I don’t like the idea of him freezing in the cold at night any more than you do.” Tom added. “So the least we can do is give him shelter when he needs it.”   
  
Marinette nodded.   
  
She had been so angry at the boy for doing something so foolish and drastic as wandering around the city homeless.   
  
Over the past weeks he had told her many stories.   
  
Standing in line for a good half hour for a small portion of food.   
  
Showering outside when the rain would pour down hard enough.   
  
Sleeping in an abandoned building along with a group of other homeless people.   
  
Faces he had come to recognize and stories that went with them that he knew by heart.   
  
All the while she started to see less and less familiar features on his own and his experiences had pained her heart even more.   
  
“It’s better than going home.” He had said. “Father will just try and take my ring and who knows what can happen after that.”   
  
Seeing him injured tonight had proven what he had said.   
  
“Where’s the first aid kit?”   
  
“It should be in the kitchen. On the wall like it usually is.”   
  
“Thanks papa.”   


* * *

  
  
“I. Am. In. Heaven.” Plagg sighed the moment Marinette walked back into her living room.   
  
She smiled sweetly at him. “Had enough?”   
  
“Heck no!” The little cat stuffed a big piece of cheese in his mouth.   
  
How it all fitted in there, she had no idea. But she knew Plagg long enough not to question it.   
“You can never have too much cheese.”   
  
“You are such a glutton.” The girl laughed, scratching the cat on his head with one finger.   
  
Plagg closed his eyes and leaned in to the touch.   
Enjoying every second of it.   
  
“Tikki should be upstairs somewhere by the way.”   
  
“I’ll should probably go say hi then. Don’t want to make her too worried about her favorite Kwami.” He grinned.   
  
“I can see why you’re her favorite.” The girl laughed again. Moving her finger to scratch the cat under his chin.   
  
“Don’t spoil him too much Mari.”   
  
She looked up to meet a grinning Adrien, chest bare and wearing the jeans he had come in with.   
His blonde locks wet and dripping slightly and looking much longer than she remembered them being a few weeks ago.   
  
His right hand had a towel pressed against his bare shoulder.   
  
No doubt to stop the wound from bleeding.   
  
She also noticed faint scars on his torso and she couldn’t help but wonder if they were new or from past Akuma attacks.   
  
“Someone has to spoil you two.” She pouted. “It’s not like you’re doing that on your own anymore.”   
  
“We’re blessed to have you looking out for us Marinette.”   
  
She couldn’t find any words to respond with, so she opted to giving him a sad smile.   
  
“Sit. Let me see how bad it is.”   
  
Obediently sat down at the kitchen table, letting go of the towel once her hand took hold of the fabric.   
  
“Sorry. I guess I didn’t really think things through.”   
  
“Hmmm?”   
  
“The towel. I should have picked a darker colour. Didn't think it would stain this much.”   
  
“It’s okay. It’s just a towel. It can be replaced.”   
  
“So can I.”   
Marinette’s eyes went wide.   
  
“Whoah! Where did that come from kid!” The small cat exclaimed.   
  
“Be honest. It would be a lot easier if I just...wasn’t here anymore.”   
  
“No!”   
  
“Adrien don’t think like that! Not even for a second!” The girl’s hand moved to lift his head up. “You’re important. Important to so many people. Important to me.”   
  
“Without me, he wouldn’t…”   
  
“You don’t know that.”   
  
“She’s right. I know running away seems like the easiest thing to do Adrien, but it’s not.”   
  
“I...I know. I’m sorry it’s just...I’ve been thinking too much lately.”   
  
“This isn’t easy. I know. But Plagg is right. Running won’t solve anything. Tell Ladybug. Defeat your father as a team.”   
  
“I don’t want her to get hurt either. I...I don’t want my father arrested either. I don’t want to join him, or fight him. He’s all I’ve got Mari.”   
  
“You’ve got us.” She muttered. “You’ve got me.”   
  
“I hate this.”   
  
“I know.”   
  
“I hate feeling like this.”   
  
“I know.”   
  
“I’m sorry. I...I didn’t even mean to get you involved and then things just got worse when you noticed there was nothing magical about the pin I stole.”   
  
“It’s better you find out from a friend than from someone else.”   
  
He gave a light shrug.   
  
“I guess. It’s just...I feel lost.”   
  
“I know.” She once again repeated. “And I wish I could help you find your way out of this.”   
  
“You’re already doing so much for me. I shouldn’t complain like this.”   
  
“You’re carrying a heavy burden Adrien. You can complain. Now…” Marinette turned to open the first aid kit. “...Let’s get that shoulder looked after okay.”   


* * *

  
  
He couldn’t remember the last time he went to bed with a full stomach.   
  
He couldn’t even remember the last time he asked for a second helping.   
  
Or when someone he cared about him enough to ask if he needed anything.   
  
If he was in pain.   
  
If he was comfortable enough.   
  
If he wanted dessert.   
  
It almost felt like a home should have felt.   
  
Warm and safe and inviting.   
  
Just like the girl currently having one leg draped over his hip, on hand petting his hair and the other limply resting against his own.   
  
“Your hair has gotten longer.” She whispered.   
  
“I can’t cut it.”   
  
“Want me to cut it for you? I’m not the best but…”   
  
“No Mari. I really mean I can’t cut it. People would recognize me too soon. Call father to collect the reward money he’s put out.”   
  
“He’s put out a reward?”   
  
“Yeah. Almost seems like he cares doesn’t he.” Adrien chuckled with a sad look on his face.   
  
“Adrien. Stay here.”   
  
“I can’t Mari. I told you.”   
  
“They don’t mind. They offered.” She countered, referring to her parents.   
  
“They would be committing a crime if I stayed.”   
  
“What?”   
  
He sighed deeply. “I’m officially a missing person. If he finds out I’m hiding out here, your parents will be found guilty of not reporting it and I’m pretty sure that’s a crime. I don’t want you to lose your family too.”   
  
“I...I haven’t even thought about it that way.”   
  
“Like I said Princess. I’ve been thinking a lot lately and I would love nothing more than to live here. But I know my father. I know what he can do.”   
  
“Still...this can’t go on much longer. I won’t let it!”   
  
“Well if you have any ideas, I’m open to better suggestions.” Adrien gave her a grin before leaning forward and nuzzling his nose against her collarbone. “Until then I’ll do what I’ve been doing so far.”   
  
“Right.”   
  
“Maybe I’ll just keep doing this until I outlive my father. Then I can claim my inheritance and take over his company.” He muttered. “Donate all the older clothing lines to the homeless. Sell the company to someone else, then use that money to help other people.”   
  
“Sounds like a plan.”   
  
He moved closer against her.   
  
“We can live together in a nice house. You can have your own garden to grow your flowers in. A designing room. A shop not that far from our home. It will be perfect.”   
  
“Y-You want me to live with you?”   
  
“No.” He looked up. “I want to live with you.”   
  
“Why? I mean...not that I would oppose to such a future but...why me?”   
  
“Because I’ve been thinking too much about this current mess, but also what an happy ending could be like and a happy ending, to me, would be to spend the good days close to you too. Because...I don’t know...you already feel like home to me during the bad days.”   
  
“Silly. A person can’t be a home.” She smiled.   
  
“You are to me Mari.” The boy shifted on the bed once again, closing his eyes and letting his head rest against her. “You are to me.”   
  
She wanted to dismiss his words.   
Say it’s something caused by fatigue or the stress of this idiotic scenario he had to deal with.   
  
But they sounded so sincere it made her heart swell and beat faster.   
  
“Chat?”   
  
Adrien hummed at hearing his superhero name.   
  
“Tell me more about our home?”   
  
He yawned. “What do you want to know?”   
  
“How big will it be?”   
  
He hummed again before answering, snuggling against her a bit more. “Not too big, not too small. Enough room for two. A guest room for when our friends want to stay over.”   
  
“That sounds nice.”   
  
He let out another yawn. “Design room for you. Big bed for both of us. Smells like coffee and pastries. Cozy. Warm.”   
  
At this point his words began to slur and she felt his body slump more and more against her.   
  
“With a little garden right?”   
  
Another confirming humm.   
  
“And we can sit outside during the summer and drink lemonade in the shade.”   
  
No humm this time, but she could faintly make out a small smile on his lips.   
Oh, how long it was since she had last seen him smile.   
  
This had to stop.   
  
She could no longer bear to see him like this.   
Wandering the streets, getting hurt for breaking into his own room.   
By his own father no less.   
  
Her parents were right, he probably didn’t have much of a choice.   
But she did.   
  
Ladybug did.   
  
She needed to go after Gabriel Agreste to give Adrien his happily ever after home.   
And that was exactly what she was planning to do.   
  
With or without her partner’s help. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a sidenote, since some of these oneshots 'go together' and aren't just random one shots, every chapter that is connected with another chapter has an asterix or two, three, maybe four at some point, behind the title now.  
> For example chapter one and five go together and you can tell because there is one asterix behind the title.
> 
> Every chapter with two asterixis belong together and the ones with three do etc etc.
> 
> Just to make this whole one shot collection a bit less of a mess.


	15. Broken trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes one cold night to find out they still had some trust in each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really a prompt for this one, just wanted to write a 'used to be friends and now we're not' kind of thing.

* * *

  
Ladybug anxiously paced back and forth over one of the rooftops of Paris.   
The night was cold and the frosty air started to slightly sting the exposed skin on her face.   
  
She wasn’t even sure why she came here.   
  
Perhaps it had been the way he had sternly told her that they needed to talk earlier that day.   
Along with the request to meet him on the rooftop of the Le Grande Paris Hotel.   
  
Her brain had screamed at her not to listen to him.   
That it couldn’t be anything but a trap.   
  
Yet it was the first time in a long time she had heard some kind of softness in Chat Noir’s voice again.   
  
Such a stark contrast compared to the sad pleads and, eventually, the grouchy demeanor she was used to from him these last few months.   
  
Everything had changed so drastically and so fast.   
The hero had not seen it coming at all.   
No time to prepare.   
Even less time after that to process it all.  
  
  
The young girl shivered and stopped her pacing.   
  
He was making her wait.   
  
And with every second he did, she was regretting her decision to come out here and she missed the warmth of her room more and more.   
  
“Cold?”   
  
Hearing her former partner’s voice startled her out of her thoughts.   
  
When had he dropped in?   
She hadn’t heard anyone sneak up on her at all.   
  
On instinct, her body quickly spun around, pulled the yoyo from her waist and twirled it next to her hip.   
Ready to strike him if needed.   
  
“Put the killer toy down Ladybug.” He warned her. “I’m not here to fight. Not tonight.”   
  
“Why should I trust you Chat Noir?” Ladybug hissed through gritted teeth.   
  
“You came to hear me out didn’t you?” A smirk appeared on his lips. “I...suppose that is a sign that you still have a little trust in your old partner.”   
  
The boy took a step forward.   
His tail sweeping back and forth, one hand resting on his baton.   
Ready to defend himself just in case she would attack.   
  
“I used to trust you.” The girl reminded him. “But how can I be so sure you aren’t just going to take me down and grab my earrings now that I’m here without the rest of the team?”   
  
“And here I was hoping you were really willing to listen to my warning.”   
  
“Warning?” She snorted. “To stay out of your way right. Nothing I haven’t heard you say before!”   
  
She let the string of her weapon spin a bit faster before jumping up and attacking him.   
He easily blocked the incoming toy with his baton, the smirk fallen from his face to make place for a frown.   
  
“Listen! I don’t have much time. I don’t want to fight you!”    
  
“Could have fooled me!” She attacked again.   
  
“Because that’s.”   
  
And again.   
  
“What we’ve been doing.”   
  
And once more.   
  
Each attacked either dodged or deflected by Chat Noir.   
  
“For these past months!”   
  
“I have my reasons!” He yelled back, launching forward to grab her arm and throw her over his shoulder.   
  
She was quick enough to wrap her yoyo around it so his movements were restrained.   
Ladybug was determined not to let him win this fight.   
  
This time, he would be the one to go home with bruises and cuts and walk with a uncomfortable limp that he would have to lie about, to his friends for over a week.   
  
“You betrayed Paris!” She shouted back. “You betrayed me! Just because he promised you something?!”   
  
“It’s more complicated than that and you know it!”   
  
“Because he’s your father?!”   
  
He yanked the string so was pulled towards him.   
Quick to react the moments she was within reach, she pressed a harsh kick against his chest.   
Knocking him back and releasing the string of her yoyo in the process.    
  
“Yes because he’s my father.” The former hero gasped. “But I did came to warn you! Please...I just...want to talk.”   
  
Ladybug frowned for a moment.   
Going over all her options before she relaxed her body ever so slightly.    
Standing upright and reeling in her weapon, only to keep it tightly in her hand.   
  
“You have thirty seconds.”    
  
“Thank you my Lady.”   
  
“Don’t.” She hissed. “You have no right calling me that! Not after what you’ve done!”   
  
“Okay.” Chat Noir huffed. “Fair enough. Just...hear me out. Please.” He took a step forward before continuing. “Hawkmoth is planning an attack. Tomorrow night.”   
  
Her blue eyes widened.   
  
“He’s going to Akumatize half the city Marinette. He might get your parents too.”   
  
“You told him didn’t you!” The girl pointed an accusing finger at the boy. “You told him!”   
  
“No! I would never tell him! I’m the only one that still knows, I swear! I haven’t told him anything not anyone anything. I promise you your identity is still safe with me. He’s planning on targeting a lot of people tomorrow night.” He calmly explained again. “Your parents might be among those people. He wants to overwhelm you and the others. Get your Miraculous that way.”   
  
The grip on the yoyo tightened.   
But not because she was preparing to attack him again.   
  
“Paris will be….no.”   
  
“Warn your parents. Get them out of the city Mari.” He took another step forward. “I...I can’t do this anymore. I can’t...see you getting hurt anymore.”   
  
“You were the one that hurt me.” She grumbled.  
  
“I never wanted to. I had hoped….”   
  
“You had hoped I would just give you my Miraculous right?”    
  
“I had hoped to be able to play along long enough to change my father’s mind.” He corrected. “Stop him with reasoning because...as his son...I thought I could...reach him some way.”  
  
Her expression fell at hearing his reason.  
It all made so much more sense now.  
  
Gone was all the hatred she had for him.  
  
“Chat…”   
  
“Yeah. That plan clearly didn’t work.”   
  
This time she was the one to close the distance between them a bit more. “You could have told me.”   
  
“Now where’s the fun in that.” He smirked. “I had to fool my father some way. What better way than...to get a genuine reaction from you. Get Paris to hate my guts. Sorry...sorry if I actually hurt you. I tried my best to hold back as much as I could.”   
  
“That...explains a lot actually.” She muttered. “There were times you let me go while you could have taken the earrings easily. I...I just thought you had doubts...that there was still hope you would come back to me.”   
  
“I never left you in the first place Ladybug.”   
  
A short moment of silence fell between them.   
  
“I wish I could completely believe you Chat.”   
  
“I didn’t expect you to Mari. Or even forgive me. I...I broke your trust. Broke our partnership and I don’t expect us to go back to the way we were just like that.” Chat snapped his fingers. “Or even at all. All I can do now is warn you whenever I can.”   
  
“I need more details though.” She demanded. “Just to make sure you’re not tricking me into a trap.”   
  
He nodded in understanding. “He’s planning to unleash his Akuma around this time tomorrow.” Chat started to explain further. “Akumatizing as many citizens as he can to attack you and your team. He’s hoping to wear your down with the amount of people you’ll have to take down and when you’re down…Well....”   
  
“I...I understand. What about you? What will your part be playing? What does he want you to do?”   
  
“He wants...he wants me to fight you like always. Only...when you’re overwhelmed...he wants me to use cataclysm on you.” Chat looked away, almost in shame. “I can’t do that. I can’t do what he asks of me.”   
  
“Chat…”   
  
“On top of that, if he Akumatizes your parents...I don’t want you fighting them. I know how difficult that is.”   
  
“I’ll...I’ll try to convince them to get out of the city before tomorrow night. I’ll try to prepare myself and the others...I...I just don’t want to fight you tomorrow.”   
  
“Me neither. That’s why I’m not going to fight you at all.”   
  
A spark of hope flared inside of her.   
  
“Does that mean...you’re going to help me?”   
  
“No. I...I can’t. I can’t fight him. He’s still my father.” Her former partner sighed and turned his gaze away from her and to the starless sky. “I can’t fight you either. Not after everything we’ve been through.”   
  
“Then...what are you going to do?”   
  
“I’m going to leave for a bit. Just disappear until I know what to do from here on out.”   
  
“Do you...even have a place to go?”   
  
He shot her a confident smirk. “Don’t you worry your beautiful self about that Ladybug. I’ll be fine.”   
  
“I worry. I’ve been worried ever since you joined him. You changed.”   
  
His reply was but a mere mutter she could barely catch. “Maybe, but I still care about you. That hasn’t changed.”  
  
  
She took a few steps forward again, closing the remaining distance between them.   
  
“I still care about you too. I still worry about you. You...you’re still my partner...I just...refuse to believe I’ve completely lost you. But I can’t forgive you either. Not yet.”   
  
“Again. I don’t expect you to.”   
  
“Are you sure you won’t join us? We don’t have to hurt him.”   
  
“He’s all the family I have left Marinette. I don’t want to be responsible for hurting him or...putting him in jail. I’d be all alone.” Chat Noir let out a nervous chuckle. “Sounds selfish. I know.”   
  
She shook her head. “No. Not at all. I would have probably done the same if I were you.”   
  
“That’s...that’s not…” He sighed deeply. “Thank you. For making it sound like I haven’t completely screwed up.”  
  
  
A comforting hand was placed on his arm.   
She felt him freeze up shortly before letting himself relax again.   
  
No doubt the constant battles they had been in had taking some kind of toll on him.   
  
“It’s not all your fault.” She assured him calmly. “I’m just...sorry it ended up like this.”   
  
“Not your fault either. And….so am I.”   
  
“Are you sure you won’t be joining us? Me?”   
  
“I’ll be more help staying out of your way than me helping you.”   
  
“Okay.” She sighed. “Okay. I...understand.”   
  
Ladybug let go of his arm, instantly missing the warmth underneath her palm.   
  
“Thank you.”   
  
“Chat.” The girl bit her lip, not really sure what say at this point. “Good...good luck. Be careful out there.”   
  
Again he smirked.   
A bit wider this time.   
Slightly more genuine.   
  
“I might need all the luck I can get.” The smirk turned into a wide smile. “How about a kiss from Lady Luck herself to help me out?”   
  
The spotted hero rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement. “You never give up do you?”   
  
Chat Noir shrugged. “Can’t blame a cat for trying.”   
  
This felt familiar.  
  
Like old times.   
  
As if nothing had changed between them at all.   
  
“How about a hug for good luck instead?” She offered.   
  
“I’m surprised you’d even want to come near me.”   
  
“You’re not bad Chat. You’ve always had a good heart.”   
  
The boy’s eyes seemed to soften.   
A loving gaze she hadn’t seen him give her in a long time.   
  
“I could go for a hug.”   
  
He outstretched his arms, waiting for her to walk into them.   
For a second she started to doubt if she should. Regretting her offer.   
  
But...this was Chat Noir.   
Despite everything, he hadn’t taken her Miraculous while he easily could.   
  
Despite everything she still trusted him, even when her head screamed at her not to.   
  
Slowly she reached out to him. Aiming to wrap her arms around his neck.   
Only to find that she was having a bit of trouble with that as he was towering a good amount above her.   
She barely reached his shoulders.   
  
“Seriously?!” The girl pouted. “When did you get so freakishly tall? Do I really have to stand on my toes to hug you?!”   
  
He let out a hearty laugh.   
  
“Poor little Bugaboo. I can help you with that.”   
  
“Still with the Bugab--- HEY!”   
  
Without warning he lifted her up.   
One strong arm wrapped around her waist, the other supporting her legs.   
  
On instinct she her legs found it’s way to his waist.   
Making for a more sturdy stance between the two.   
  
Being carried like this made her slightly taller than he was.   
Making it far easier to put her arms around his neck.   
  
“Better?” He winked.    
  
“Better.” She confirmed. “I didn’t even realized you’ve grown so much.”   
  
“I guess that’s what happens when you are paying more attention to dodging each other’s attacks and not to each other.”   
  
As promised, she enveloped him in a hug the best she could. “I missed you.”   
  
“Missed you too.”   
  
“I’ll keep missing you.”   
  
“Me too.”   
  
“Don’t leave.”   
  
“I can’t stay my Lady. However much I want to.”  
  
She bit her lip once more before answering.  
  
Knowing very well that she had to let him go.  
  
  
“I understand Chaton.” She hugged him tighter. “I understand.”   
  
Ladybug felt him nuzzle the crook of her neck. Trying to return the hug as much as he could.   
  
“Adrien.” He suddenly whispered.   
  
“Hmmm?”   
  
“My name. It’s Adrien. Adrien Agreste.”   
  
She pulled back and blinked a few times. “My classmate Adrien? That Adrien Agreste?”   
  
“Afraid so.”   
  
“That...makes sense. It would explain why you’ve been avoiding me for a while.”   
  
“I never wanted to. It would...just make things more difficult if I didn’t. So...I tried to keep my distance.”   
  
The dark haired girl gave a small nod before she came to another realisation. “Wait! That means your father is Hawkmoth!”   
  
“Something you already knew.”   
  
“No! No you don’t get it. Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth!” Carefully she let herself move out of his hold. “I now know who he is!”   
  
“That’s important because?”   
  
“I can get the jump on him before he’s going to Akumatize all those people! We know where he lives!”   
  
“You can’t.” The blonde pleaded. “It’s too dangerous!”   
  
“It’s the best option we have Chat!” The girl argued. “We can get him before he hurts all those people. Before he can overwhelm the team!”   
  
“He’s got the place rigged with traps Marinette! He’s a lot more prepared than you think.”   
  
Ladybug frowned slightly as she slipped into thought. “You!" She pointed a accusing finger at him. "You know what he has up his sleeve right?”   
  
“M-Most of it. Yeah. What are you getting at?”   
  
“Help us Chaton? Just by giving us a layout of your house and his lair and what kind of surprises your father has.”   
  
“Information? That’s all you want?”   
  
She nodded.   
  
“If you get him...I’ll be without a father...without a family.”   
  
“Adrien. You have a family. People who love you and care about you.”   
  
“Friends.”   
  
“Friends can be family. This all can be over. We can figure things out together from there but I can assure you, you won’t be alone.”   
  
“I…”   
  
“Please. We can’t bring peace without you and I promise you I will help you get through with whatever happens after that.”   
  
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep Bug. We’re...not as close as we used to be.”   
  
“We’re close enough to still trust each other. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t. I’m...sorry about attacking you earlier.”   
  
“You had a good reason.” The blonde sighed and ran a hand through his locks. “Okay. On one condition.”   
  
“Yes?”   
  
“I’m not going to be directly responsible for putting my father in prison. I’ll give you the info you need for your plan but I’m not going to be part of that plan.”   
  
She nodded. “Understandable. Thank you.”   
  
“So...meet up back here in an hour?”   
  
She nodded. “I’ll round up the others. I have some paper and stuff in my room. The hatch is open, feel free to take what you need from there and you can draw up a map and give us the details.”   
  
“Alright. Yeah...I can do that.”   
  
“Thank you Chaton.”   
  
“For you? Anything Bugaboo.” He sighed lovingly.   
  
“Love you too kitty.”   
  
She grabbed her yoyo once more and threw it out into the night sky.   
The cold air no longer chilling her to the bone, knowing she hadn’t lost her partner completely.   
  
Knowing Hakwmoth’s reign would end tonight if they were lucky.   
  



	16. Smooches on the couch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alya finds out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this one was "Well that is definitely a cat."  
> Lots of smooches in this one-shot too. As if the title wasn't a hint enough.
> 
> Also a bit of cussing in this one. But just a bit.

 

* * *

 _  
  
“Can you get some food for dinner before you come home? I can’t leave because there’s a cat on my lap.” _ _  
_   
Alya snickered at Marinette’s text before answering back.   
  
**“Sorry girl. I lost my wallet.”**   
  
_“I have to wash my hair.”_ **  
**   
The blogger rolled her eyes at Marinette’s unoriginal reply.   
  
Ever since they had been roommates, sharing a small apartment, they had this new tradition between them, where they tried to give each other the worst excuses not to do a certain thing.   
Mostly to keep each other entertained.   
  
**“I’m not wearing shoes.”**   
  
_“The cat stole my bra.”_   
  
The snicker turned into a chuckle.   
**  
** **“Okay. You win. I was about to head back home from work anyway. What do you want to cook tonight?”**   
  
_“Surprise me.”_ She replied. _“But take your time.”  
  
_

* * *

  
  
The moment the blogger turned the key of her apartment door, she more or less expected to find Marinette sprawled on their couch. Surrounded by new designs or fabric scraps.   
Nothing she wasn’t already used to by now.   
  
What she didn’t expect to find was the dark haired girl in a tender embrace with Paris’ very own local hero.   
  
Chat Noir.   
  
The blonde in question softly kissing her lips with a smile on his face.   
  
Fingers restlessly brushing against each other.   
Several soft giggles escaping the girl as she leaned into every kiss he placed against her skin.   
  
“Well, that is definitely a cat.” Alya suddenly spoke up to let her presence known.   
  
Marinette jumped away from the hero at hearing her voice. “Alya! You’re home! Already! What a surprise. I thought I told you to take your time.”   
  
“Was this why?” She pointed back and forth between the two people on the couch. “Because you were smooching Chat Noir. I suppose he really stole your bra too.”   
  
“I wish.” She heard the hero mutter under his breath.   
  
This earned him a short frown from her roomate.   
  
“How long has this been going on girl?!” Alya continued to interrogate. “And how come you’ve been able to keep this hidden from me for so long!”   
  
“Well...we...euhm...have been hanging out for a while now actually. Even before we moved in together.”   
  
“I just tend to drop by at times you’re working late.” Chat Noir added with a smirk.   
  
The girl shook her head. “Mari. If you wanted privacy, you could have just told me you know. No need to be all cryptic and tell me I should ‘take my time’. I didn’t even knew you were dating!”   
  
“Dating?” Marinette’s eyes widened at the implication. “We’re not...dating.” She turned to the boy next to her. “Are we?”   
  
“I’ve never taken you out on a date? Should I? I mean...do you want to?”   
  
“I want to. But can we?”   
  
Chat shrugged and Alya let out a groan.   
  
“I can tell you two are making this waaaaay too complicated.”   
  
“It is miss Ladyblogger.”   
  
The other girl nodded. “It’s not that easy. We didn’t mean for anyone to know we are close. Just imagine if Hawkmoth found out through one of us!”   
  
“Alright. Point made girl. Point made.”   
  
“And I hope you understand that we need to ask you to keep this a secret too.” Chat added.   
  
She rolled her eyes and thought for a second before agreeing with a small nod. “I can’t believe I have the juiciest piece of news sitting on my couch and I have to keep it a secret.” She sighed. “But for the sake of Paris and its citizens, I will. Even if it hurts keeping this off the Ladyblog.”   
  
Marinette gave her best friend a smile. “Thanks for understanding Al.”   
  
“It’s because you’re my best friend Mari. Otherwise I would not keep my mouth shut. Can you imagine the headlines?” She raised up her hands and moved them from each other in the air. “Baker’s daughter banging local superhero.”   
  
Marinette snorted slightly.   
  
“W-We’re not…” Chat began to stammer. Only to be halted by a reassuring hand placed on his leg.   
  
“It should be ‘aspiring designer makes out with fashion disaster’.” The dark haired girl corrected.   
  
This time he was the one who let out a chuckle.   
  
“Or. ‘Mangy stray finds true love’.” He added.   
  
“Awww. That one is kinda sweet.” Alya cooed. “Whatever the case, I want all the deets from you two.” She pointed between the two people. “Especially because I can’t tell anyone.”   
  
“I...I’m not sure how many more details we can give you, since Mari pretty much explained it all already, but...sure?”   
  
“You staying for dinner?” The designer suddenly asked.   
  
The hero’s cat ears perked up.   
  
“I’d love to!”   
  
“We need to order takeout if you’re going to stay. I didn’t buy enough for three people.”   
  
As to emphasise her point, the glasses wearing woman held up a meagerly filled, plastic bag she had been holding all this time.   
  
“I’m okay with that.” Marinette added.   
  
“Let me pay.” Chat offered.   
  
“No Chaton. You don’t have to--”   
  
“Ah ah ah ah!” She interrupted her best friend. “Let the man pay Mari. It’s a fair deal. I don’t kick him out for smooching my bestie and he pays for our food.”   
  
That night was the beginning of a strange new ritual between the three of them.   
  
More often than not, she would find Chat Noir sprawled on the sofa, head in Marinette’s lap as she petted his hair.   
Or both of them placing soft kisses against each other’s skin.   
  
Even though she was getting used to seeing them together, it didn’t make things a less awkward when she walked in on them making out.   
Whenever Alya did, she waved a quick hello and retreated into her bedroom until Marinette would come get her to tell he had left.   
  
When they were merely cuddling however, they would order food and she sometimes joined them on her bad days.   
  
Her best friend was the best cuddler in the world afterall.   
Not taking advantage of that was almost criminal.   
Even if her other side was already occupied by the purring cat hero.   


* * *

  
  
“Girl?! I think we should go out tomorrow night. It’s been forever and Nino can’t go with me. So keep your schedule clear! No kissing that--” She called out the moment she stepped back into the apartment.   
  
This time she wasn’t met with the sight of the other girl kissing Chat Noir.   
Instead Adrien Agreste sat on the couch, leaning close to the designer, muttering something to her.   
Fingers ever so carefully brushing against each other.   
  
Marinette’s cheeks were flustered red.   
  
As they normally did when the model would speak to her.   
  
That was something that hadn’t changed at all over the years.   
  
“Oh. Hey Al.” The blonde greeted the moment he spotted her.   
  
“Hey Adrien. Didn’t know you would drop by today.”   
  
“Wasn’t planning it. But Marinette asked me to help model some of her designs and I happened to be in the neighbourhood and had some time on my hands.”   
  
“Ah I see.”   
  
“We’re heading out soon to improvise a shoot.” The other girl clarified.   
  
“You’re leaving me all on my own? I’ll die without your company!” Alya joked. “How cruel of my best friend!”   
  
“You’ll be fine.” Marinette waved off. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”   
  
“Or you can come with us if you want. We can grab something to eat afterwards and you’re more skilled with a camera than Marinette is.”   
  
Adrien had made a valid point.   
  
On top of that, seeing how flustered the girl already was, Alya didn’t doubt that she would drop and break the camera the moment the young man would have a smirk on that perfectly sculpted face of his.   
  
“Alright. I’m in.”   
  


* * *

  
  
By now she expected to be somewhat prepared for the sudden guests Marinette invited into their apartment.   
But nothing made her eyes go more wide than finding the one and only freaking Ladybug, laying on her back on that same couch Marinette had claimed as her workspace slash makeout spot.   
  
Which would have been an exceptionally cool thing to come home to, were it not for the fact that Chat Noir was currently on top of her, pressing a passionate kiss against his partner’s lips.   
  
Alya could hear the spotted hero trying, and failing, to suppress a faint moan as he hid.   
  
“Get the fuck off her!” Alya yelled.   
  
She didn’t know how her brain switched to auto pilot so fast, but before she even realized it, she had closed the distance between herself and the couch and proceeded to whack the black cladded hero with her purse as hard as she could.   
  
“You two timing bastard!” She continued to yell. “How dare you!”   
  
Even though the assault wasn’t enough to drive him out of the room, it was enough to move him off the piece of furniture.   
  
“Alya wait!” Ladybug tried to plead.   
  
“No! Didn’t he tell you he’s been making out with my best friend for months?!” She continued to hit the other hero with her purse. “Marinette deserves better! You cheating asshole!”   
  
“I’m not..OUCH! Stop it Alya! Please!” Chat pleaded.   
  
“It’s alright.” Ladybug grabbed her wrist to make the girl stop her attempts to knock him out cold. “Alya. Please stop! It’s alright, he isn’t cheating on me.”   
  
“The hell he---what?”   
  
“He’s not cheating.” Ladybug quietly repeated. “Just calm down and let me explain!”   
  
The reporter huffed, yet took a step back regardless and threw her purse on the coffee table.   
If anything, she could probably take Chat with her bare hands if she needed to.   
  
“Alright. Explain.”   
  
“Tikki. Spots off.” The spotted hero whispered before a pink glow washed over her. Revealing the girl underneath the mask as well as a red creature hovering next to her.   
  
Marinette gave her best friend a awkward smile. “Surprise!”   
  
“You...You’re...Oh...Oh that makes so much sense.”   
  
“You shouldn’t have shown her Marinette!” The red creature scolded.   
  
“I couldn’t let her punch Chat into a bloody pulp either Tikki!” Her best friend argued back.   
  
“I can keep a secret.” Alya assured them both. “I mean...I’ve been keeping this thing between you two quiet for months now.”   
  
“She has proven she can be trusted.” Chat Noir agreed as he rubbed his sore limbs. “And that she can hit hard.”   
  
The creature narrowed it’s eyes and let out a small huff. “Fine. I guess we don’t have a choice.”   
  
“I...I still can’t believe it though! Girl! First you managed to keep your thing with Chat Noir hidden and now it turns out you’ve been Ladybug all along! Holy shit!”   
  
“Exactly what I said when I found out.” The cat sighed before plopping back down on the sofa.   
  
“You two need to tell me the whole story!” Alya pressed on.   
  
“As long as you keep it to yourself Al.”   
  
“I swear Mari. I won’t tell a soul.”   


* * *

  
  
True to her word, Alya didn’t tell a single soul.   
Yet she found herself more and more intrigued by the finer details of what made Ladybug well...Ladybug.   
  
Thankfully, as grumpy as the little creature was when Marinette had spilled the beans, Tikki was more than willing to explain as much as she could, about the history and the magic behind Ladybug.   
  
It was only the minor details she was allowed to put on the blog.  
  
Details she could back up with her own video archive as evidence or even history books.  
  
Who knew there had been that many Ladybug's throughout history!   
  
Other details, the little Kwami either didn't elaborate on or forbade her to spread further.  
No matter how much the reporter begged.  
Most of the time they were related to the limitations and strengths of the Miraculous.  
  
Tikki was a careful creature.   
  
Something that Alya could somewhat appreciate seeing the circumstances.   
  
On the opposite side was Marinette.   
Who had deemed their apartment and especially the couch, to be her ‘safe spot’ where she could be less vigilant and talked freely about her day fighting Akuma.   
Still fully transformed on more than one occasion. Not going through too much trouble of hiding herself now that her roommate knew everything.   
  
Because, in her own words “It’s tiresome trying to hide this from everyone all the time and kind of nice not having to.”   
  
Tikki and to some extent even Alya herself, had warned her that being that careless might ended up with the wrong people finding out about her identity.   
  
Marinette had waved it off, being well aware that they never really did get much visitors aside from Chat, Adrien and Nino and that she would take full responsibility if anyone else ended up finding out.   
  
Which happened, Alya assumed he knew anyway, a couple of weeks after she found out her bestie was the hero she idolized.   
  
Marinette was supposed to be out on patrol.   
She had told her she was going to be out for a long while, leaving enough room from Nino and herself to have a few private moments after they would come back from their dinner date.  
  
Something she had been looking forward to ever since their busy schedules left less and less room to plan these sort of things.   
  
Impatiently, the DJ had wrapped his arms around her waist as she searched for the door key.   
Pressing kisses against her neck, muttering half drunken declarations of love against her skin.   
  
Alya eventually found her key and opened the door.   
  
Unlike what she was hoping for, the couch wasn’t empty.   
  
On it sat Ladybug.   
  
Against her shoulder leaned a familiar face with blonde hair, looking half asleep and very much shirtless.   
His chest would have been completely bare, were it not for the bandages he was wearing across it.   
  
Bandages that apparently came from their first aid kit, if the open box on the coffee table was something to go on.   
  
Every once in a while she pecked a small kiss against his lips before they continued their hushed conversation.  
Not even having noticed the front door opening.  
  
“Dude!”   
  
Nino’s sudden outburst made Alya realize that this particular scene wasn’t what one normally would find in a regular apartment.   
  
“Hey Nino.” Adrien greeted tiredly.   
  
The spotted hero merely shot them both a sheepish smile and a small wave.   
  
“You okay man? What happened?”   
  
“Akuma attack. Ladybug saved me and brought me here. I’ll be okay, it's a small wound.”   
  
Nino nodded in understanding. “Hey was I just seeing things or where you two smooch---”   
  
Before the DJ could get another sound out, Alya pulled him down by the collar and pressed her lips against his own as hard as she could.   
That was the first thing that popped into her head that would, hopefully, prevent her boyfriend from asking more questions.   
  
“You were supposed going to help me with something weren’t you Nino?”   
  
A little dazed by the sudden kiss, Nino was in no state to reply clearly. “Huh? What?”   
  
The woman took this moment to pull him away from the other two and lead him into her bedroom.   
  
“Make sure Adrien gets home safely and you owe me big time!” She managed to shout before locking the door.   
  
Alya only hoped she would be able to bullshit her way from excuse to excuse, as it was probably inevitable that the DJ would start asking questions at some point.   
  
Questions she would love to know the answer to as well.   
  
“So what was that all about?”   
  
That point apparently came sooner than she would have liked.   
  
The reporter merely shrugged as she kicked off her shoes and turned on the television.   
  
“What do you wanna watch?”   
  
“Anything is fine babe. I’m not picky. But I am confused.”   
  
“Don’t think too much about it. I stopped doing that a long time ago.” The woman let herself fall on the bed. “Trust me. It’s better to just...not question those two.”   
  
“O...kay.” He reluctantly sat down on the bed. “May I question you?”   
  
“You may. If I can answer is a whole other thing.”   
  
“Ladybug related?”   
  
She had to hand it to Nino. He caught on quickly.   
  
“Yeah. She told me some things.”   
  
“To keep secret if I had to guess.”   
  
She sighed deeply. “You guessed right hun.”   
  
“And where does Adrien come into play in all of this?”   
  
“The Hell if I know. All I know is that I’m moving that couch to Mari’s room.”   
  
He snorted softly at her reply. “Dude. What does the couch have to do with anything?”   
  
She merely turned to him with an all knowing look on her face. “No couch, no walking in on anyone smooching on it. Especially if that anyone is someone who isn’t living here.”   
  
“So that means I can’t make out with you on the couch either?”   
  
“No.” She answered unamused. “No you can’t.”   
  
He leaned over to her and gave her a short and sweet kiss. “Then I guess we should just stay here.”   
  
She smiled “Yes. Yes we should.”


	17. Happily ever after home ***

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's making a bad decision.  
> For the first time in a while, he's seeing everything clearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter to close of the three star (***) arc of oneshots.
> 
> The prompt for this one was "Why do you hate me so much?"
> 
> Trigger warning for blood mention and attempted murder.

* * *

  
She was gone.   
  
He expected her sleeping form, or at least a groggy greeting, to be first thing he would wake up to that morning.   
  
But she was gone.   
  
Her spot on the bed empty and cold.   
  
“Marinette?” He muttered, hoping she would still be somewhere in her room.   
  
There was no reply.   
  
“Mari?” Adrien asked again, only a little louder this time.   
  
Still no reply.   
  
The boy pushed himself up from his position and was immediately reminded that he was in fact still very much injured.   
  
Looking down at his shoulder, he noticed blood had started to seep through the bandages during the night.   
  
A painful, throbbing, feeling residing underneath his skin.   
  
There was no way he was going to be able to give Ladybug his all during the next couple of days.   
Weeks?   
  
He wasn’t even sure how he was going to keep his injury hidden from her.   
  
The last thing he needed was for her to ask questions he didn’t want to answer.   
  
Questions he couldn’t answer in fear that she, as well as the city, wouldn’t be safe anymore.   
  
Maybe he could play it off as something like a tennis arm instead of being stabbed by his supervillain father.   
  
Yes.   
  
That sounded like a plan.   
  
If Ladybug would ask.   
  
He had injured himself while playing tennis.   
He needed to come up with a solution first before involving her into this mess.   
  
It was bad enough that Marinette and her family knew.   
  
Trying to ignore the pain, the boy crawled out of Marinette’s bed and moved down the steps, towards her floor.   
  
“Plagg? Do you know if Marinette is downstairs?”   
  
He heard a sleepy grumble coming from a pile of clothes on the pink chaise.   
His own clothes.   
  
Adrien was sure that, when he got changed for the night, that he had just casually thrown his rags on the floor.   
  
It wasn’t much anyway.   
  
A pair of jeans, a worn sweater, some old socks and his sneakers.   
  
The sweatpants and Jagged Stone shirt he currently had on, were borrowed from Marinette.  
  
To her they were oversized and perfect for movie nights or Sunday mornings.   
  
To him they were almost a perfect fit.   
  
How they got on the piece of furniture was a mystery.   
But he suspected that Marinette had something to do with it.   
  
“That’s not a answer Plagg.” The boy sighed. “Is she downstairs?”   
  
“Dunno.” The small cat muttered.   
  
That didn’t help much.   
  
Sighing, Adrien ran a hand through his hair.   
  
He really did need a haircut.   
  
Badly.   
  
Maybe he could do something to keep it pulled back for now.   
  
The last thing he wanted was to crash into a building because his hair would move into his line of sight.   
He looked around the girl’s room.   
  
In search of something he could borrow to help him out.   
  
A piece of string.   
A rubber band.   
  
Anything.   
  
Eventually his eyes landed on a red hair tie on her desk.   
  
It was perfect and if she didn’t agree to him taking it, he would return it before he would leave the house in a few hours.   
  
No.   
  
Sooner than that.   
  
He didn’t want to stay longer than he needed to.   
  
Bringing his arms up to tie his hair into a small ponytail proved to be difficult.   
Not only had he never done it, but his shoulder wasn’t willing to move that far backwards.   
  
Eventually, after a bit of struggling, he managed to tie...something in his hair.   
It didn’t feel like a ponytail. But for now it would have to do.   
  
“I’m going to ask for some breakfast and then we’ll head out.” He warned Plagg. “An hour tops.”   
  
“Can’t we stay here? It’s so cold out.”   
  
“You know we can’t.”   
  
“Are we sleeping in the shelter again at least.”   
  
“Yeah. I think so.”   
  
“Good. At least we’ll be a little warm tonight.”   
  
“Get some more rest okay. You might need it.”   
  
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Plagg grumbled.   
  
The boy merely gave the pile of clothes a small nod before walking to the hatch leading to Marinette’s room.   
  
When he opened it, he could hear the faint murmurs of a conversation taking place in the kitchen area.   
He recognized the voices of her parents.   
  
“Should we call the police?”   
  
“Sabine. Our daughter is more than capable of handling this.”   
  
“You don’t know what can happen! She’s alone out there Tom. I know she handled a lot of stuff before but....”   
  
“I know dear. I know. I’m worried too.”   
  
The details of their conversation were so vague, he wasn’t sure what had happened exactly, only that it had something to do with Marinette and that is was possibly a bad thing.   
  
Going through the opening in the floor, he walked down. “Excuse me. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but did something happen to Marinette?” He politely asked.   
  
“Oh! Adrien.” Sabine sighed sadly, trying to keep a smile on her face. “Good morning.”   
  
She looked like she had been crying recently.   
Her eyes red and her cheeks stained with dried up tears.   
  
He didn’t greet either of them back as not to stray from the topic. “Where’s Marinette?”   
  
“She...she…”   
  
“Please monsieur Dupain. I need to know. Is she in danger?”   
  
The man remained silent for a few moments.   
Swallowing hard before giving his answer.   
  
“She’s gone to your father to talk some sense into him.”   
  
“We don’t know how long she’s been gone. We found a note when we woke up this morning.”   
  
“What?! No! No! No! No! This is bad! Why...why would she even do that?!”   
  
The married couple exchanged a look with each other while a million thoughts raced through his head.   
  
Was she safe?   
  
Did she actually make it to the mansion?   
  
Was she alone or did she drag Alya and Nino with her?   
  
He hoped the latter was the case as then, most likely, his father wouldn’t dare pull something.  
  
Three kids would be a big enough group to overpower a grown man right?  
  
Right?   
  
“I think she wanted to make sure you would have a place to stay for now.” Sabine carefully explained. “She worries about you.”   
  
And now he was worrying about her.  
  
“It’s dangerous! She knows that!” Why was he still there, throwing up arguments against the girl’s decision. He had to be quick if he wanted to make sure she was unharmed. “I...I have to go. I have to find her.”   
  
He was already halfway up the stairs when Tom halted him. “Adrien. Be careful too alright. We’d like you both to come back in one piece.”   
  
Adrien gave him a confident nod.   
  
If his father had even touched a single hair on Marinette’s body, he would not hesitate this time throw him a punch.   
  
Racing back to the pink bedroom, he didn’t bother to inform Plagg about the current situation.   
There was no time to lose.   
  
“Plagg! Claws out!”   
  
The small cat only had time to let out a confused sound before being sucked into the ring.   


* * *

  
  
He tried to ignore the pain as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop.   
  
Chat Noir would rest when he knew Marinette was safe and sound and back with her parents.   
After he would scold the girl for doing something so stupid.   
That, at the very least she should have told him.   
  
Not that he would let her do it.    
  
But she should have told him!   
  
He trusted her with his identity.   
She should be able to trust him with whatever crazy thing she was thinking about doing.   
  
As the Agreste mansion came into view, Adrien pondered for a second if he should sneak in or just break through the nearest window.   
  
The closer he got, the more he realised that it didn’t matter.   
He needed to find her and a broken window really was something minor compared to what his father had done to him the previous day.   
  
Thankfully, the window to his old bedroom was still as he had left it when he tried to steal some of his own clothes back.   
  
Open.   
  
Gracefully the hero leaped through the opening and landed softly onto the ground and took a few seconds to regain his breath.   
  
His room was empty, dusty, and everything was exactly where he had left it when he ran away.   
  
Chat Noir tightened his grip on his baton, took one last deep breath and strided forward with big steps.   
Violently, he threw open his bedroom door, only to be met with a startled Nathalie.   
  
“You!” He called out the moment he noticed her. “Where is she!”   
  
“W-Where’s who!”   
  
“Where’s Marinette! Tell me Nathalie!”   
  
“I don’t know--”   
  
“Tell me!” He demanded. “She ran off to talk to father! Where is she!”   
  
“The...the basement. Your father took her to the basement.”   
  
“We don’t have a basement!” He called out to her.   
  
“We do.” The woman nodded. “Here.”   
  
She motioned for the boy to follow her.   
  
He expected to be led downstairs to his father’s lair.   
Maybe that’s what she had meant by basement.   
  
Instead Nathalie only took a few steps and stopped at the large painting of him and his father in mourning.   
  
It was the first thing anyone would see if they would step through the front door and it was a constant reminder to him that his mother was gone.   
  
With two hands she pulled on the picture frame.   
The large painting swung aside with little resistance to reveal an opening behind it as well as a staircase leading down.   
  
“Down here. She hasn’t come out yet. Neither has your father.”   
  
“How long have they been down there?”   
  
“Almost an hour.”   
  
If only he had woken up sooner.   
  
But that was then and this was now.   
And right now he really needed to venture down to check up on the girl.   
  
If he would interrupt something completely harmless, so be it.   
  
He was done waiting around to find the perfect middle ground.   
  
The moment he took his first step on the stairs, a warm hand was placed on his arm.   
  
“Be careful down there Adrien.”   
  
He simply nodded to the woman and stepped into the darkness.   
Thank goodness night vision was one of his powers.   
He would have to thank Plagg for that at some point.   
  
The more travelled downward, the faster his steps seemed to go.   
  
Eventually he found himself in a large room.   
  
As big as the house itself if he had to guess.   
  
One long, metal bridge connected his end of the room to a platform at the other end.   
He could make out a few things on the other side.   
  
Some small trees.  
  
A round hole in the ceiling letting in some natural light.   
  
A open...container....casket...of some kind and...a person laying near it.   
  
“Mari...Marinette!”   
  
His body seemed to move on his own the moment he suspected the body to be of the girl.   
Running as fast as he could, it still seemed to last an eternity when he reached her.   
  
The closer he got, the clearer he could see the person’s features.   
  
Dark hair.   
  
Pink jeans.   
  
Half open blue eyes.   
  
There was no doubt. This was the baker’s daughter.   
  
“Marinette!” Chat Noir called out in relief. “Marine--”   
  
The boy stopped dead in his tracks when he reached her.   
Tainting her skin and clothes were some nasty looking wounds.   
  
Blood dripping down her face, arm and he suspected somewhere on her leg as well if the dark stain on her jeans were any indication.   
  
He would have broke down right away were it not for the fact that the girl was still breathing.   
  
It was shallow.   
  
But she was alive.   
  
“No! No! Mari.” He dropped down on his knees and cradled her half conscious body in his arms. “Marinette. Hold on Princess. Stay with me.”   
  
“Hey Chat.” The girl muttered. “Got you a present.”   
  
“No. No. Princess.”   
  
She opened her blood stained hand to offer him a small pin.   
  
“It’s the real thing this time.” She assured him. “Punched him in the face to get it.”   
  
Clearly she was referring to his father.   
  
“Punched him real good. He ran off.”   
  
“Why did you t-think risking your life was a good idea!” He started to sob. “Why...Why do you hate me so much?! Why do you hate me so much that you’re throwing yourself into danger like this!”   
  
She frowned slightly.   
  
“No. No I don’t hate you. I love you. Don’t cry kitty. You can stay with us now. You’ll be warm and safe and happy again.”   
  
She reached up with a bloodied hand to wipe away a tear from his face.   
The coppery scent lingering around her becoming stronger.   
  
It was only then that he realised that he did not have time to sit around and weep.   
  
She was still bleeding and if she didn’t get medical attention this would be the end.   
  
“Hospital. I...I need to get you to the hospital.”   
  
“I’ll be fine….just….could you...tell me about our home again?”   
  
“Our...home?”   
  
“With a garden...where we’ll drink lemonade in the summer. Big enough for the two of us. A...big bed to sleep in….an extra room...for designing….or….or…”   
  
“Or for Nino and Alya to stay for the night.” He finished.   
  
She gave a weak nod. “Smells like coffee….and pastries.”   
  
Chat adjusted his grip on her body and lifted her in his arms and made his way back up as quickly as he could.   
  
All the while Marinette kept muttering new additions to their future home.   
  
He didn’t mind.   
  
As long as she kept talking, he knew she was still conscious.   
He had hope she was going to be okay.   
  
Nathalie’s face was the first one he saw when he stepped out of the hidden staircase.“Call an ambulance!”   
  
She didn’t even get the change to ask ‘why’ before he spoke again.   
  
“Never mind!” He groaned in annoyance. “It’ll be faster if I bring her myself.”   
  
Again, he didn’t give the woman the time to respond as he dashed out of the building and took to the rooftops.   
  
He would really need to thank Plagg for his amazing superpowers.   
  
Even if keeping the girl steady and only being able to jump without the aid of his batton wasn’t going fast enough for his liking, it was the best he could do for her.   
  
Every second counted.   
  
“How pretty.” She muttered against his chest.   
  
“What’s pretty?”   
  
“The clouds. They….are pretty today.”   
  
“They are.” He agreed without even looking.   
  
“Can we...stop...Chaton?”   
  
“No…No we can’t.”   
  
“I...I don’t think we’ll...make it in time…”   
  
“You have to. We have to. You’re going to make it.”   
  
“It’s fine Adrien.”   
  
“No it isn’t! I can’t lose you!”   
  
“Just...stop…”   
  
“No!”   
  
“I need to tell you...something...important. Please stop.”   
  
“I’m not going to stop Marinette!”   
  
“Then...tell...maman….and papa...I’m sorry….”   
  
“You tell them. You’re strong, you’re going to make it. You’re going to tell them yourself.”   
  
“I’m sorry….you were...right Chat. He...he was dangerous...can’t talk to...him….”   
  
“I’ll tell you ‘I told you so’ when you’re all healed up again.” He promised her. “I won’t let him get away with this. I swear!”   
  
“Love...you...so much…”   
  
At that moment he felt her body going limp in his arms.   
  
“Shit!” Chat Noir cussed under his breath. “No! No we’re almost there! Don’t you die on me!”   
  
With one final leap he jumped off a building and landed on the sidewalk across the street from the hospital.   
He didn’t care for all the mutters the people around him gave him or the glances that were thrown their way.   
  
Focussed on his goal, he made a mad dash for the entrance.   
  
“Help!” The hero called out. “Help please! She’s badly injured and still bleeding!”   
  
One of the nurses walked up to him. “Our emergency staff is being called and are on their way. What happened to the girl? An Akuma?”   
  
“Hawkmoth...she had a run in with Hawkmoth...Help her...please help her.” He pleaded. “I can’t lose her. She can’t…”   
  
“Okay. Okay let me see.” The nurse brushed away a bit of her hair to reveal a large gash close to her ear, then moved in search of more head trauma. “Seems like there aren’t really any head injuries. That’s good.”   
  
“She’s bleeding in my arms! How is that good!”   
  
“Calm down Chat Noir and let me do my job.” The nurse scolded. “She seems to still be breathing so that’s good. How long ago since you found her like this?”   
  
“Couple minutes. She was already bleeding before then, I don’t know for how long.”   
  
“No major artery damage then I assume. She would have--”   
  
“Don’t. I get the idea. Just...save her. Please.”   
  
The sound of wheels rattling became closer and closer towards them.   
A medical stretcher, pushed forward by three other people rushed towards them and came fairly close to them to a halt.   
  
“We’ll take it from here. Just put her on there.”   
  
Chat nodded and did as he was told, gently putting the girl down.   
  
One of the nurses pulled the small bag she always carried with her from her shoulder and handed it to him before rolling her unconscious form away.   
  
They all left him standing there, all alone, so fast, that he suddenly felt lost.   
  
The boy had been so focused on keeping getting her safe but...what now?   
  
Her parents…   
  
He had to tell her parents and then….   
  
Looking down at the purse that was shoved into his hands, he noticed the pink fabric was now stained with blood from his own hands.   
  
Clean up...he had to clean up after informing the Dupain-Cheng’s.   
  
Even though his black suit probably concealed most of the stains, it felt wrong meeting her parents again knowing the blood was hers.   
  
After that...he...he would contact Ladybug. Tell her what happened and both of them could release some kind of press statement.   
Get...Get his father behind bars.   
  
As much as it pained him, he couldn’t risk someone else getting injured by his father's acts.  
  


* * *

  
  
He couldn’t look them in the eye the moment they arrived at the hospital.   
  
“I’m sorry.” He muttered offering the mother her daughter’s purse. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”   
  
“You did everything you could dear.” Sabine assured him, taking the small bag. “Now all we can do is hope that she’ll be okay.”   
  
“I’m so sorry.”   
  
“She’ll be fine. We both know she’s strong.”   
  
“I should have….done something sooner.”   
  
“We don’t blame you. You’re in a difficult position and it wasn’t like you had much of a choice. Thank you. For bringing her here. For doing the right thing.”   
  
“I should have informed Ladybug earlier. We could have…”   
  
“Adrien. It’s in the past. What’s done is done. You did everything you could and I’m proud of you for making such difficult decisions.”   
  
“P-Proud?” That was a word he hadn’t heard associated with him in a long while.   
  
Sabine nodded. “You did good.”   
  
“But my father...he’s still out there…”   
  
“The police will get him. You don’t have to do everything on your own.”   
  
“I...there’s no proof. We have his Miraculous but no proof to put him away.”   
  
Her silence was enough for him to know that he was right.   
Unless they had unmasked the man in front of a large crowd and some new cameras, just suddenly having the butterfly Miraculous in their possession wasn’t enough to make him pay for his crimes.   
  
It wasn’t like they were putting the blame on someone insignificant either.   
  
Gabriel Agreste had influence.   
  
A reputation.   
  
He needed to think about this.  
  
Tell his Lady and figure out how to handle it all.   
  
“She’s in surgery.” Tom’s voice suddenly pulled him out of his train of thoughts.   
  
“How long do they think they’ll be operating on her Tom?”   
  
The large man shook his head at his wife’s question. “The doctor wasn’t sure. Could be another hour. She has some severe wounds that need patching up and she lost a lot of blood.”   
  
“Will...will she make it? Will our little girl be okay?”  
  
“The doctor has faith it will be alright. She’s getting blood transplanted now and probably some more after the surgery. After that...lots of rest. Needless to say she’s not coming home with us for at least a couple of days. She was lucky enough that nothing vital was damaged.”   
  
“Yeah. Lucky.” Chat Noir muttered under his breath.   
  
He took a step away from the couple. “I...need to contact Ladybug and tell her what happened. Please excuse me.”   
  
As the hero walked away, the two parents exchanged a look of worry with each other.   
  


* * *

  
  
_“Hey Chat. I can’t transform right now so leave a message!”_  
  
“Bug? Hey. Ehm. I...I need your help. There’s been...there’s been something I’ve been keeping from you. I know who Hawkmoth is...I...I.” He sighed deeply. “It’s complicated but...he’s hurt a friend of mine and I need your help tracking him down and taking him in. Call me back? I’ll give you the full details.”  
  
He hung up and made his way back to Marinette’s parents.  
  
“I can’t seem to reach her.” Chat informed them. “I’ll try again later or hope she’ll call back.”  
  
“Chat Noir we--”  
  
“I need to go. There’s someone I need to talk to right now. Maybe I can convince them to help me out and if not, I’ll take the evidence by force.”  
  
“Evidence?” Tom asked in confusion.  
  
“I...we...can’t proof that the Miraculous we have belonged to Gabriel Agreste. But I might be able to find some video footage of him attacking Marinette. The mansion has security cameras almost everywhere. At the very least he’ll get to be put away for attempted murder or something.”  
  
The baker gave a small nod “Be careful. We’ll be waiting for you here.”  
  
  
For the second time that day and the third time that week, Chat Noir entered his old home through the same window in his old bedroom.  
  
He hoped he could convince Nathalie to help him with this.  
If not.  
  
He would just have to take what video evidence he could find and report it to the police.  
  
“Adrien.”  
Nathalie’s voice startled him the moment he exited his old room.  
  
There she was, at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him.  
  
“Nath. I need your help.”  
  
“Going by the blood on your face, I’d say you do.”  
  
“Blood?” He reached up to his cheeks and felt something dry and flaky on his skin.  
  
Shit.  
  
He had forgotten to clean himself up after calling Marinette’s parents.  
  
“Feel free to get a hot shower in your room. Your father has fled and I don’t think he’ll be back soon.”  
  
“Do you know where he is?”  
  
She shook her head. “I know he led that girl, your friend, down to the basement. The next thing I knew was that you dropped by to demand where he took her. Is...Is she going to make it? She looked…”  
  
“Yeah. I...the doctors are hopeful she will. She got father’s Miraculous too.”  
  
“She’s a brave girl.”  
  
“Are you sure he’s not here?”  
  
The woman nodded. “I looked all over the place and in every hidden room he had build in here. Then I checked the security footage and saw him run off through the backyard. With...with the body of your mother.”  
  
“The...the what?!”  
  
“Your mother.”  
  
“My mother is missing!”  
  
“Your mother passed away suddenly and he never told you. He kept her in a cryo chamber in the basement, hoping that the combined power of yours and Ladybug’s Miraculous could bring her back. That’s why he only started being Hawkmoth after she passed away. To lure you two out.”  
  
“He tried to hide that from me.”  
  
She nodded once again. “I can’t...I can’t support what he’s doing anymore. The people he Akumatized. He promised that they wouldn’t be hurt. But...then he goes hurting this girl who is calling him out for being Hawkmoth instead of reasoning with her like I thought he was going to. I...I thought he was going to show her the body of your mother and explain to her why he was doing what he was doing. Why you ran away.”  
  
“She knows why I ran away. I didn’t mean for her to find out but...but I ran to her when I tried to steal father’s Miraculous. When I thought I stole it. To fix all of this.” The boy explained.  
  
“He needs to be stopped. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”  
  
“Me neither.”  
  
“Let me help Adrien.”  
  
“I could use your help. I...I don’t think I can put him behind bars for being Hawkmoth. Unless he’ll confess about that on his own. But...what he did to Mari. Maybe we can find some evidence for that on the security footage?”  
  
“Worth a shot. Go clean up. I’ll start looking.”  
  
He gave Nathalie a nod and walked back into his room. “Plagg. Claws off.”  
  
A green glow washed over him and dissolved his transformation.  
The little cat fell exhausted into his open hands.  
  
“That...was crazy. A little more warning next time kid? I wasn’t even awake when you transformed!”  
  
“Sorry Plagg. There was no time to waste.”  
  
“Yeah. Okay. I get it.”  
  
“Take a short rest Plagg. I'm not planning on staying here longer than I have to.” Carefully he put him on his sofa and made his way towards the bathroom.  
  
Adrien took a glance in his mirror and noticed the smear on his cheek.  
Dark brown.  
Two lines going down from Marinette’s brief touch.  
  
Blood from his own wound had started to seep through the shirt he borrowed from her.  
  
No doubt racing over rooftops hadn’t done the healing process any good.  
But at least the adrenaline made sure he wasn’t too bothered by it.  
  
Maybe he could ask Nathalie to refresh his bandages.  
  
Throwing off his clothes, he peeled off the gauze and the bandages from his torso before taking a quick shower.  
  
He wanted to get back to the hospital as quickly as he could.  
  
“Hey Nathalie?” He asked nervously. “Could you help me redress this?” He pointed at his bare shoulder. A fresh shirt already clutched in his hands.  
  
She frowned. “When did that happen?”  
  
“Yesterday afternoon. I tried to...take some of my clothes from my room but father caught me in the act. Did you know he had a cane sword?”  
  
She shook her head.  
  
“Neither did I.”  
  
“I’ll get the medical supplies.”  
  
“Some cheese too. My Kwami needs to recharge.”  
  
She nodded. “Take a seat. I’ll be right back.”  
  
“Thank you Nath!” He called after her as she left the room.  
  
His father’s office.  
  
The only room which had a computer directly linked to the security system and the camera’s.  
  
Taking a quick peek at the screen, he could see the footage was paused at the moment Marinette was being led into the house.  
Two different angles showed his father putting a hand on her shoulder while he urged her further.  
  
Anger boiled up inside of him.  
  
How dare he touch her.  
How dare he hurt her.  
How dare he!  
  
Curious to see what else had happened, he pressed the play button.  
  
Both Marinette and his father stopped in the middle of the entrance hall.  
  
Lips moving as they started to have a conversation.  
  
Sadly enough the security camera didn’t record sound, but he could clearly tell that Marinette wasn’t happy with what was being told to her.  
  
After a good two minutes he pointed forward, to the secret entrance no doubt, spoke a few words to the girl and both of them walked up the stairs and through the painting.  
  
Nathalie moved across the hallway not soon after they moved out of view.  
Most likely to do some work in another part of the house.  
  
Speeding up the video, it wasn’t until about forty five minutes later that he saw himself, as Chat Noir, bursting through his bedroom door, startling Nathalie in the process.  
  
From there on out he knew what had happened so he sped up the video a little bit more.  
  
Just like the woman had said, his father did not leave the house through the front door.  
  
The file to the camera’s at the back of the house weren’t opened yet, so he couldn’t be sure at what time the man had fled.  
  
“I couldn’t find any video proof of your father transforming.” Nathalie said the moment she stepped back into the office.  
  
A first aid kit in hand.  
  
“But it is clear that he did this to her. She was the last person he was with before I found her. They both went down to the basement.”  
  
“I’ll cut out the most important moments and take it to the police and the news station. Your father left being injured so your friend did put up a fight.”  
  
“She said she punched him in the face.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
“Do you think he’ll go to the hospital?”  
  
She shook her head. “A private clinic somewhere maybe. But not the hospital. It’s hard to explain to a regular medial professional how he got injured when his occupation isn’t exactly a dangerous one. But with the right amount of money, a private doctor or surgeon might not ask many questions.”  
  
Adrien nodded in understanding.  
  
“Here.” She opened the box and took out some clean gauze and fresh bandages. “Sit down.”  
  
He did as he was told and let her take care of his wound.  
  
In the end it didn’t feel as comfortable as to when Marinette did it, but it did it’s job.  
He just hoped it would stop the bleeding.  
  
If not, he might need to seek some extra medical care and get some stitches.  
  
But that was a worry for later.  
  
He could live with discomfort and an annoying wound.  
  
He would live with that every day if Marinette would live through it all and see another sunrise with him.  
  
Another sunrise in their forever home.  
  
With the balcony filled with flowers, the garden where they would drink lemonade in the summer and the extra room for guests to sleep over.  
  
“You should get back to your friend. Leave everything to me. I’ll even make sure you’re no longer officially missing either.”  
  
“I don’t know if I can come home now. What...what if he comes back?”  
  
“Where have you been staying all this time?”  
  
“The street. The homeless shelter. At the girl who came to talk to father.”  
  
“Are you close to her?”  
  
“Yeah. She’s one of my best friends. Her parents are really nice too. They...they know I’m Chat Noir.”  
  
“What are their names?”  
  
“Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng. They run the bakery near school.”  
  
Nathalie nodded. “I’ll make sure the police knows you’re staying with them for the time being. Until your father has been arrested and been put on trial.”  
  
“And then? What then?”  
  
“Then you can come home.” She smiled. “I might only be your father’s assistant, but I’m not going to just leave you to fend for yourself. Your father assigned your care over to me in his will anyway and while he might not be dead, he won’t be around for you anymore.”  
  
“That’s what stopped me from turning him in earlier.” He muttered.  
  
“Me too. He was all you had left as a family. I couldn’t take that away from you.”  
  
“Thank you...for your help Nathalie.”  
  
“Don’t thank me yet. The most difficult thing is yet to come Adrien.”  
  


* * *

  
  
True to her word, Nathalie reported his father’s action of attempting to murder a young girl.   
  
The interaction between Marinette and his father was given to both the police department and the family lawyer.   
Apparently, Marinette had done more then just punch the man in the face as the video showed him limping through the garden.   
The dead remains of his mother in his arms.   
  
Something he hadn’t seen yet until it was shown on the eight o’clock news.  
  
Seemed like madame Chamack didn't waste any time on covering such a juicy topic.  
  
_“The current whereabouts of Gabriel Agreste still remain unknown. If you have seen this man or have information on his last known location, please contact the local authorities.”_ Nadja Chamack announced as the security footage played on the small television above Marinette’s bed.   
  
The girl had just gotten out of surgery by the time he got back to the hospital. But she hadn’t woken up just yet.  
  
That had been hours ago now.  
  
Her belongings, along with the butterfly pin, rested on a stool near her bed.   
  
Both her parents held her hand on one side and he held her other hand on the other side.   
Waiting for her to open up her eyes.   
  
Various tubes and wires going to her nose, her arms and just above her collarbone.    
A bag of blood hanging near her bed and dripping from another tube into her veins.   
Her skin pale.   
Making the many stitches stand out even more.   
  
The beeping of the heart monitor being steady and almost soothing.   
  
She was going to be alright.   
  
Scarred on the places his father had injured her, but alright.   
  
“You did good Adrien.” Tom told him once the newsbulletin shifted to a different topic. “You did the right thing.”   
  
“I...I had help. From Nathalie. She...she made sure we got evidence. She made sure it got to the news station and the police.”   
  
“All that anyone can do right now is wait.” The man told him.   
  
“Tom. We should go home. Get some rest. We’ve been here almost all day.”   
  
Marinette’s father gave a small nod. “Will you stay with us for the night Adrien?”   
  
“I...I’d like to stay with Marinette a little longer. I’ll find a place to sleep tonight. Don’t worry.”   
  
“Our door is open for you.” The woman told him. “You don’t have to look for a place to sleep. I’ll leave Marinette’s window open so you can just go in at any time. We’ll leave some cheese out for your little cat.”   
  
“And some food for you. You haven’t eaten anything yet have you?”    
  
Adrien shook his head.   
  
“Don’t stay too long sweetheart. You need your rest too.” She turned towards her husband. “We need to inform Alya and the school about Marinette’s condition.”   
  
“I won’t stay long.” He promised them.   
  
Tom gave him one last nod before turning off the television and leaving the small hospital room with his wife.   
  
Only the beeping of the heart monitor was left to break the silence in the room.   
  
Every once in a while he would give her fingers a light squeeze.    
Hoping she would move or try to squeeze back.   
  
She didn’t.   
  
Adrien wasn’t sure how long he had been looking at her sleeping form, but it was starting to get late and the sun had set a long time ago.   
He was getting hungry and he was sure Plagg would need some more cheese too soon.   
Even though the Kwami was currently sleeping in the pocket of the hoodie he had taken from his room.   
  
The moment he let go of her hand, the girl started to stir slightly and let out a sigh.   
  
“Mari?” He carefully asked.   
  
“Nggghn…”   
  
“Hey Princess.”   
  
“C...Chat….?”   
  
“Yeah. I’m here Marinette.”   
  
“Wham I?”   
  
“The hospital.”   
  
“You made it.”   
  
“No. You made it.”   
  
“You...brought me here.”   
  
“I did. How are you feeling?”   
  
“Not sure. Sleepy.”   
  
“Then I’ll let you sleep alright.”   
  
“Adrien?”   
  
“Hmmm?”   
  
“Could you...tell me more about our….home?”   
  
“Of course Marinette. What do you want to know?”   


* * *

  
  
The walls of the extra room were a soft yellow with white stripes.    
  
The floor had a fluffy rug in the middle of the room.   
  
A old wooden dresser they had painted white rested against the walls.  
Boxes and bags resting on top of it.  
  
“Aren’t you counting your chickens a little early Kitty?” Marinette asked as she walked into the room. A cup of coffee in her hand.   
  
“No.” He told her taking the cup from her and admiring the crib he had just put together. “And even if I am, then it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for the next time. Right?”   
  
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not even three weeks pregnant Adrien. It’s still so...frail. Anything can still happen. I hope not of course but...geez...I’d feel a lot more confident about this when I’ve passed that three month mark.”   
  
“So do I. But I’m excited to welcome this baby into our perfect home too and I want their room to be as perfect as the rest of this old house.”   
  
He pressed a kiss against a faint scar close to her ear.   
As if his father had tried to slice her ear of.   
  
One of many scars.   
  
Scars that had faded away pretty nicely over time, yet he could still pinpoint out the exact places where they were supposed to be.   
  
“I love your enthusiasm.” The designer told him.   
  
“I love you.”   
  
“I love you too.” She leaned upwards and pressed short kiss against his lips. “It’s nice and warm out. Do you want to have lunch in the garden?”   
  
“Sounds good my Lady. I’ll be out in a minute. After I figure out if all these extra bits are really extras or...if I screwed up building the crib.”   
  
She looked at the small pile of loose screws and wooden plugs and gave a small nod. “Looking at that. I’d say that’s a lot for just extra pieces.”   
  
“Figured as much.”   
  
“We’ll solve this puzzle after lunch Adrien.”   
  
“Sounds good.”   
  
“Don’t forget you have an appointment with your father’s lawyer at three.”   
  
“Looking forward to it.”   
  
And he really was.   
  
A couple of years ago it had taken but a mere week for his father to be tracked down and another two weeks for him to be trialed with attempted murder.   
Thanks to Nathalie’s work and both Chat Noir’s and Marinette’s testimonies, his father was rotting away in jail for the next eighty something years.  
Partially thanks to his sudden outburst in the courtroom, actually confirming that he indeed had been Hawkmoth.  
  
This meeting with the lawyer would be the last one Adrien would have with him.   
  
He would sign over the company to Nathalie and live carefree with the love of his life in their quaint little home.   
  
And he couldn't ask for a happier ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sidenote: Didn't want to throw in another reveal, so I hope that it's pretty clear at the end, when there's a time skip, that Adrien found out about Marinette being Ladybug at some point.


	18. When we're twenty five ****

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two heroes talk about dreams and hypothetical relationships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this oneshot was "Maybe all of this was just a mistake."

* * *

 

There she stood.   
  
The person of her dreams right across from her.   
  
A elegant wedding dress worn over her spotted suit.   
  
Nobody was allowed to know her secret identity after all.   
  
Music softly played in the background as the minister started his speech leading up to the wedding vows.   
  
“If someone objects to these two people joining together in holy matrimony. He may speak now or forever hold his silence.”   
  
The door to the church flew open.   
  
“I object!”   
  
Chat Noir’s voice echoed through the room as he stomped up to the bride with determination in every step he took.   
  
“Chat Noir!” Ladybug gasped.   
  
“I have come to stop you from making a great mistake.” He pointed at the other person across from the heroine. “They don’t love you. Not the way I do. Search your heart you know it’s true.”   
  
“It is!” She threw off the veil she was wearing. “How can I be so blind!”   
  
“But you’re marrying me!”    
  
The blue eyed girl turned towards the person she was going to marry.   
  
“I love you. I do. But not like I love Chat Noir.” Ladybug swooned into her partner’s arms. “We won’t be happy together. We shouldn’t lie to ourselves.”   
  
“It is true. Maybe all of this was just a mistake. Thank you Chat Noir for making us realize that.”   
  
“That’s what a hero does. Now...my Lady. Would you do the honors of marrying me right here. Right now?”   
  
“Oh Chaton! Of course!”   
  
Their lips met in a passionate kiss.

 

* * *

  
  
“And then I woke up.”   
  
Ladybug snorted after hearing about Chat’s dream.  
The bubbles of the soda she was drinking tickling her nose.  
  
“That’s...a creative way of sweeping me off my feet.” She admitted.  
  
“You can be honest and just tell me it’s stupid.” He shrugged. “It’s was a weird dream anyway. Besides…I won’t get in the way of your happiness. Even if you’re going to marry someone else in the future.”  
  
She took a little time to register his words as he shoved the remains of his hamburger in his mouth.  
  
Ladybug wasn’t sure how they spiraled into the whole subject of dreams during their late night snack break, but she had to admit that it was somewhat endearing to hear him ramble about his own.  
  
“What if I married you?” He perked up at the question. “How would you sweep me off my feet at the altar then? Hypothetically.”  
  
“I wouldn’t. We’d marry in secret, without the press and stuff and just keep people guessing if we’re a thing or not.”  
  
“As if they’re not doing that right now.”  
  
“Let’s just keep them in the dark. They don’t need to know everything about us. That way our kids are safe too.”  
  
“Kids?”  
  
“Well...yeah...I...I think that would be nice. To have kids someday.”  
  
“Together?”  
  
“Hypothetically we’re married so…”  
  
“Three.”  
  
“What?” He blinked a couple of times.  
  
“Three kids. One girl and two boys.”  
  
“Hypothetically right?”  
  
“And outside of a hypothetical scenario.” Ladybug clarified. “I’d just love to have three kids someday.”  
  
“You seem like the person who would have names for them already too.”  
  
She nodded. “Emma. Louis and Hugo.”  
  
“What if you just end up having one or two?”  
  
She shrugged. “That’s fine too. I’d love them all the same and so will the person I will marry.”  
  
“I hope so.”  
  
She grabbed a hamburger from the bag sitting between them and frowned slightly at his comment. “What do you mean by that?”  
  
“I mean that...not every parent loves their child by default. Or...shows them they love them.”  
  
“Sounds like you’re talking from experience.” Ladybug whispered.  
  
“I am. Though I don’t doubt others have a much worse relationship with their parents.”  
  
“I’d divorce them if they end up being a bad parents for our children. Doing all this superhero stuff...it made me realize that keeping those who are dear to you safe is the most important thing in the world.”  
  
Chat nodded in agreement.  
  
“If they are a danger to their own child...well...I’ll have to step in and do something about it.”  
  
“Even if that person happens to be me?” He asked.  
  
“In a hypothetical scenario yes.” She unwrapped the burger and took a bite. “But I don’t know how I’ll act if that actually happens. But I don’t think I’ll have to worry about that with you Chat.”  
  
“Oh? How so?”  
  
“You’re a caring guy.”  
  
“I care about you.”  
  
“You care about others too. I meant what I said a while back. You’re good with kids. You are every time we deal with some. So I don’t doubt you’d make a awesome dad someday.”  
  
“You’d make an awesome mom too. I mean...not everyone has this amazing idea of putting a giant baby to sleep if they didn’t have experience dealing with kids.”  
  
She smiled and glowed with pride. “I do a lot of babysitting.”  
  
Her partner grinned. “I knew it.”   
  
“Realistically...where do you see us standing in ten years?”  
  
Chat sipped his drink as he thought about his answer. “Realistically? Hopefully we would have defeated Hawkmoth by then and at the very least still be close friends who know each other’s actual names. Hopefully...hopefully we both find happiness. With or without each other.”  
  
“Want to promise something stupid Chat?”  
  
“Stupid in what way?” He snorted.   
  
Her partner knew her long enough by now to know that she never had stupid plans.  
Stupid promises? That he didn’t have much experience in.  
  
“Romantic comedy stupid.”  
  
“What trope are we committing ourselves to Bugaboo?”  
  
“The ‘get married to your best friend when you both aren’t married by the age of...let’s say...twenty eight’ one.”  
  
“Make it twenty five and you’ve got yourselves a deal.”  
  
“Impatient are we?” She giggled.  
  
“Nah. Just giving us a little more time to adjust to our new life as husband and wife.”  
  
He stood up from his spot on the random rooftop they had decided to sit down and eat on.  
  
“Okay. Twenty five. But only if neither of us are married or in love.”  
  
“Are we still talking hypotheticals or was that a serious offer.”  
  
“Serious offer. I’d rather spend the rest of my life with my best friend than being alone.”  
  
“Okay. Cool...cool. I...I’m going to get some more food and process all of this a little…”  
  
Once again she reached into the bag and pulled out the last hamburger in there. “You can have my third one. I’m almost full anyway.”  
  
“You sure?”  
  
“Wouldn’t be offering if I wasn’t Chaton.” She laughed.  
  
“This is why I love you so much Bug. Anyone willing to give up their food for you is someone worth keeping close.” Gloved hands took the wrapped food from her.  
  
Ladybug rolled her eyes. “You have such low friendship standards.”  
  
“That’s why I’m lucky to have such a high quality friend like you.”  
  
“Don’t sell yourself short Chat. You’re high quality too.”  
  
“You mean high koala tea.”  
  
She didn’t reply and gave him a unamused glare as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.  
  
“That was horrible. Give me my hamburger back.”  



	19. One out of five stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Ladybug and a Cat themed superhero walk into a restaurant....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this one was “This sir, is a restaurant.”

 

* * *

  
  
She wasn’t sure how she had let herself be talked into this.   
  
Perhaps it was because she had skipped two meals that day and Chat had tossed up a small comment at some point, on how he missed dinner as well.   
  
All thanks to Hawkmoth of course.   
  
Four Akumas in a day didn’t leave much time for human necessities like sleep...or food in this case.   
  
One way or another, he had convinced her to take her out for dinner.   
Thus interrupting their patrol run halfway to stop at some restaurant he had picked out at random.   
  
“Chat!” She harsly whispered at him. “This place looks so fancy! I’m not sure I can pay for the food here.”   
  
He merely took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “No worries My Lady, what gentleman would I be if I let my date pay for her meal.”   
  
“This is not a date.” She pouted.   
  
“I got this covered. Don’t worry.”   
  
There weren’t a lot of people eating out on the terras area, but the ones that were gave both of them an odd stare as they walked passed them.   
  
She couldn’t blame them.   
  
It wasn’t every day that two weirdos, who had happened to be superheroes, casually walked into a fine dining establishment.   
  
The moment Chat pushed the door open, Ladybug couldn’t help but be in awe.   
  
Soft yellow lights, illuminated various colorful flowers which decorated the place.   
Light wooden panels against the walls.   
Cozy looking benches and neatly set tables.   
And to top it all off the faint sound of some instrumental score really set the mood in the entire restaurant.   
  
“Good evening!” Her partner cheerfully greeted the maître d’hôtel.   
  
A tall man wearing a formal suit and a small pair of glasses resting on his nose.   
  
“Table for two please. Somewhere quiet and romantic if that’s possible.”   
  
The man raised a brow and looked the two children once over.   
Skepticism clearly on his face.   
  
“This sir, is a restaurant.”

Her partner blinked a couple of times, not sure what the man was aiming at.  
  
“I’m...well aware….sir.”   
  
“Then you should also be aware that ties are mandatory for the gentlemen to wear.”   
  
“Oh darn.” A little disappointed the hero looked at the bell on his suit and gave it a slight poke.   
The large bell ringed ever so slightly.  “I don’t suppose you’re willing to count this as a tie?”   
  
The man looked even more unamused. “I do not. Sir.”   
  
“Can’t you let this one slide? It’s been a crazy busy day for us and we just want to get some dinner. We’ll pay. We’ll leave a big tip.”   
  
“I’m afraid I can’t make any exceptions.”   
  
Her partner let out a sigh in frustration and turned towards her.   
  
“I don’t suppose your lucky charm is willing to give me a tie?”   
  
“Chat. I can’t use my lucky charm without reason. You know that. Besides, I don’t have any cookies on me to recharge Tikki.”   
  
He turned to the man once again.   
  
“Don’t suppose you’re willing to make an exception for Paris’ heroes?” Chat pleaded.   
  
“Even if you were the actual Ladybug and Chat Noir, you would not be exempt from this restaurant’s dress code.”   
  
“Do...do I need to wear something special too?” She decided to carefully ask.   
  
“No madame.”   
  
“Shoot.” Her partner sighed. “What now?”   
  
“We either go hungry or find a way to turn your tail into a tie.” Ladybug joked.   
  
“We have loaners.” The maître d’ sighed with a roll of his eyes.   
  
The cat’s face immediately lit up. “Great!”   
The man reached for something behind the counter he was standing behind and pulled out two ties.   
  
One was a bright orange.   
  
The kind of orange that would hurt your eyes by merely looking.   
  
The other was a dark green.   
  
Decorated with little snowmen and reindeer.   
  
An obvious Christmas themed one.   
  
Nevertheless both looked terrible.   
  
Utterly and most definitely two pieces of fashion disaster put together.   
It was almost embarrassing to think about wearing either of them.   
  
Yet, she was hungry.   
  
And so was he.   
  
And hunger, when being a teenager, would win over being embarrassed.   
  
“That one.” Chat pointed at the Christmas themed one.   
  
Ladybug nodded in approval.   
  
Horribly out of season, but at least she could look at Chat all evening without her eyes hurting because of the bright orange.   
  
“Very well.” The man handed him the tie. “Follow me please.”   
  
Ladybug observed her partner as he casually threw the tie around his neck, attempting to actually tie it as they followed the man to their designated seats.   
There wasn’t a lot light at their table.   
  
The only thing illuminating that particular corner of the restaurant was a couple of candles on the table and one lamp against the wall.   
  
She had no complaints.   
  
As long as she got to eat something.   
  
“How...no not like this.” Chat muttered next to her in a annoyed tone.   
  
“Having trouble?”  
  
“I’ll admit.” The blonde sighed. “I’ve never tied a tie before. Not on my own anyway.”   
  
She giggled and stopped, beckoning him to step closer to her.   
  
“This will be your menu. Sir. Madame. A waiter will be with you shortly to take your order.”   
  
The man didn’t even wait for their reply before making his way back to the front of the house.   
Chat muttered a quick ‘thanks’ which she suspected went unheard.   
Then again perhaps he was thanking her, as she skillfully looped and crossed the tie until it was in place.   
  
He looked ridiculous.   
  
She loved it.   
  
“You have to teach me sometime.”   
  
A cheshire grin appearing on his face.   
  
“Maybe I will.” She smiled back.   
  
“Wait, wait!” Chat rushed by her to pull out a chair for her. “Your table Bugaboo.”   
  
“Thank you mon Chaton.”   
  
As she sat down, he shoved the seat under her so she was close to the small table .   
  
Harsh whispers were heard among the other patrons.   
  
Whispers they tried to ignore.   
  
No doubt it wasn’t more than idle gossip.   
If he was taking her out on a date or if they really were the actual superheroes.   
  
“So...what do you want as an appetizer?” Chat asked after opening the menu.   
  
“I don’t think we have time for that. Let’s just get a nice main course and get back to our patrol.”   
  
“No dessert?” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “But they have so many yummy things! Ice cream, pudding, cakes! They have cakes LB!”   
  
“Okay alright. For the sake of your sweet tooth, we’ll share a dessert and have a quick cup of coffee before heading out.”   
  
“Thank you.” He grinned happily.   
  
“Don’t thank me. You said you’re paying.”  
  
“I will because I am a man of my word my Lady.”   
  
Even though they had been told that their waiter would be with them shortly, it wasn’t until half an hour into their dinner experience that they had noticed that nobody had come to them to take their order.   
  
Or get them a glass of water.   
  
Not even bread was put on the table.   
  
“What’s taking them so long.” Chat mumbled. “Not that I mind waiting when I’m with you, but I can’t stay out until late. My father will notice I’m gone.”   
  
“I have the same problem Chat. Maybe we can get the attention of someone to take our order?”   
  
“Hey!” He called out to the nearest staff member. “Can we order please?”   
  
“I’ll be with you in a moment.” They replied before walking in another direction.   
  
“That’s what they said half an hour ago.” Ladybug muttered. “If we can’t order in ten minutes let’s just leave and get some pizza or something.”   
  
Her partner sighed sadly. “Yeah. Sure.”   
  
“You sound disappointed. What’s wrong?”   
  
“I...Just...It’s just that this is the first time we’re out having dinner together and I figured a nice, romantic place like this would be perfect. But the service here is pretty lousy. It’s not even busy. There are like…” He counted the people at the occupied tables. “Ten people here. That’s not a lot.”   
  
“Maybe it’s because we walked in here in our suits?” She shrugged. “I feel like we should have dressed up for this place.”   
  
“We just stand out. That’s all.”   
  
“Not enough to get some service. Maybe they are ignoring us because we look weird. Or maybe they think we aren’t the actual Ladybug and Chat Noir.”   
  
Chat let out a short humm as he picked fidgeted with the corner of his napkin. “The guy up front did look pretty skeptical.”   
  
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to feel pretty uncomfortable here. People keep looking at us.”   
  
“The downside of being famous.” He shot a grin at two people at a nearby table who kept glancing at them and waved slightly at them.   
  
The pair quickly turned their focus back to their dinner. Pretending that they hadn’t looked at them at all.   
  
“Do you want to leave?”   
  
She fell silent, thinking about her answer for a moment.   
Time to answer wasn’t given to her as a loud thud, followed by screams was heard closeby.   
  
“Doesn’t Hawkmoth ever take a break?” Chat sighed. “There goes our romantic date.”   
  
“Not a date.” She reminded him, standing up from her seat, ready to spring into action.   
  
“You go ahead Bug. I’m going to give this back.” He pointed to the tie around his neck. “I’ll catch up.”   
  
The girl gave a nod before sprinting out of the restaurant.   
  
“Wait! You haven’t paid yet!” The maître d’ called after her.   
  
“We didn’t have anything we could pay for!” Chat argued, loosening the tie. “Here I was thinking your establishment would be a fine place to treat my Lady to a romantic dinner. But we didn’t even get a drop to drink or a crumb to eat and now we have to fight another Akuma on a empty stomach. At the very least we should have been stuffing ourselves with bread and garlic butter. But nope. You’ve earned your one out of five star review from me mister!”   
  
A bit angry he threw the Christmas themed accessory on the floor and stormed out.   
Followed by the man who started to rant to the boy about being ‘fake’ and ‘how dare he say such things about his restaurant.’   
  
Chat ignored it all and opened up his baton to pinpoint his partner’s location.   
The moment he knew where to go, he leaped up a nearby lamppost and took off.   
  
Leaving the maître d’hotel standing on the sidewalk with his jaw dropped. 

* * *

  
  
“I don’t suppose you want to try this whole dinner thing again huh?” He asked her after they had defeated the Akuma.   
  
“I am still hungry. Does your offer still stand?”   
  
“Of course.”   
  
“I know it’s getting late out. Maybe we should have a quick meal somewhere instead of sitting down.”   
  
“I know a Italian restaurant that’s still open at this time. We could share a plate of...anything and call it a night? Last time I was there they had pretty quick service.”   
  
“Let me recharge Tikki back home and meet back with you here in a few minutes okay?”   
  
He gave her a small nod and she zipped away.   
  
The moment Ladybug came back, she found Chat Noir sitting on the very rooftop she had left him on, typing away on his baton.   
  
“What are you doing?”   
  
“Giving that place we tried to eat at a bad review.”   
  
“Are you that upset about it?”   
  
“Kind of. Yeah. At the very least we should have had something to eat. Didn’t have to be our main course but geez. Waiting for over half an hour for our order to be taken, a rude welcome when we stepped in. It might look fancy but the inside isn’t as good as it looked.”   
  
“Whatever helps you to blow off steam I guess.” She shrugged. “I think I can stay away for an hour before my parents report me as a missing person. How about you?”   
  
“Same. Give or take.” He stood back up. “Enough time to treat you to a plate of spaghetti or whatever you want to have.”   
  
“At this point, I’d be happy with anything edible.” 

* * *

  
Just as with the other restaurant, both the patrons and the staff gave the pair odd glances the moment they stepped in.   
Old bottles were placed alongside the wall, along with a long strand of fake grape vines and fairy lights.   
  
They could see people working in the kitchen, through a opening in the wall near a small bar area.   
  
“Hi. Good evening. We eh...like to get a table for two. If there’s any available?” Ladybug spoke up.   
  
“Of course.” One of the servers told them. “This way please.”   
  
They were guided to a corner booth.   
A large, dark red sofa surrounded a small table.   
The server motioned for them to take a seat.   
  
“Would you like some bread?”   
  
“Yes!” Ladybug instantly answered without hesitation.   
  
“And what would you like to drink?”   
  
“A coke for me please.”   
  
“Same for me. Thank you.” His partner added.   
  
“Great. I’ll be back with your menus in a moment.”   
  
As their waiter walked away, both heroes exchanged a look with each other.   
  
“Do you think…”   
  
“We’ll actually get to eat this time?” Chat laughed. “I think so.”   
  
“It’s a Christmas miracle.” She joked.   
  
“Maybe we even get to eat in peace without an Akuma ruining it all.”   
  
“He might be at his limit. I don’t think he’ll throw another one at us for today.”   
  
“It’s like he’s trying to break his own record.” She remarked. “How many people can I Akumatize in one day to annoy Ladybug and Chat Noir.”   
  
“One. He only needs one and I’m annoyed.” He joked.   
  
She giggled softly. “I hear you Chaton. One is enough.”   
  
Sooner than they expected, bread, garlic butter and their drinks were brought to their table.   
Along with a menu.   
  
The moment a piece of food touched her tongue, Ladybug found herself lost in the flavor of it all.   
  
It wasn’t anything she hadn’t tasted before, but not having eaten in a while made every bite taste all the better.   
  
The large plate of spaghetti Chat had ordered for them to share was much of the same.   
  
“Hey. Thanks for convincing me to do this. It was nice to just, sit down together and get a bite to eat.”   
  
“Yeah. I’m glad we did this too.” He put a plastic card, which he had to detransform in the bathroom for because it was in his civilian pocket, into a card reader next to the restaurants register.   
  
“Maybe we can do this again next week?”   
  
“Same place?”   
  
“Yeah. I like this place. It’s really nice.”   
  
“I’d like that.” Chat smiled at her before entering his pin number.   
  
“Is it okay if I go? I’ve been out longer than I wanted to.”   
  
“Sure Bug. Go ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow for patrol.”   
  
“Great! Do you want to make reservations for next week?”   
  
Chat looked at the person behind the register. “Is that possible?” They gave the hero a nod. “You can count on me LB! Does eight sound alright with you?”   
  
“Perfect. It’s a date then.”   
  
“Wait...an actual date?”   
  
“An actual date.” Gloved fingers found their way to her lips and she blew a kiss towards her partner. “See you then Chaton.”   
  
She was out the door before she could see the broad smile on the boy’s face.   
  
“A date. An actual date! Yes! Yes!”   
  
“Congrats.”   
  
“Thank you! Thank...ehm...can I make a reservation for next week right now?”   
  
“Sure no problem. Should I just write it down as Chat Noir or…”   
  
“Yes! Yes that’s fine. At the most romantic spot in your establishment. No! The same table we had tonight. Yes! I’ll leave you guys a huge tip next time! A date! I can’t believe it.” He beamed, putting the card in the small pocket of his suit.   
  
That very evening Chat Noir gave the italian restaurant a five star review.  
As far as he was concerned, they had earned every last one of them.


	20. Sleepover **

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worried about Adrien's safety, Marinette decides to go on a stakeout.

* * *

  
Marinette Dupain-Cheng cherished a lot of things.  
  
A good night’s sleep was definitely high up on that list as far as she was concerned.  
It only went higher up that list the moment she had become Ladybug and as a result either didn’t get much sleep or none at all on regular occasions.  
  
But now…  
  
If she had to believe her partner.  
  
And she did.  
  
Now...the Akuma were gone.  
  
Hawkmoth was powerless and she could have a well deserved and full night of undisturbed sleep.  
Being well rested and ready to face a day filled with exams and tests and possibly not need a power nap before patrol would start for a change.  
  
That could have been the outcome, had she not started tossing and turning the moment her head touched her pillow.  
  
Her mind constantly drifting back to Adrien.  
  
Who was alone in his room.  
  
With his father close by.  
  
His father who was still, probably, very much able to just walk up to his son’s room, take back his Miraculous or even take his son’s ring and turn this whole situation back around.  
  
She couldn’t just sleep knowing that.  
  
Around two in the morning she poked Tikki awake, transformed, made some coffee as silently as she could and brought it with her in a thermos as she made her way to the Agreste mansion for a stakeout mission.  
  
No lights were turned on.  
  
She didn’t see any movement in the house throughout the night and as far as she could see Adrien didn’t leave his bed either.  
  
“No offense Marinette, but you look like a wreck.” It was the first thing he greeted her with that morning before giving a couple of pecks on her cheeks.  
  
She merely smiled tiredly at her partner. “You don’t look that great yourself. I can see those dark rings under your eyes. No matter how much foundation you’re wearing.”  
  
“Thanks for pointing that out. I’ll have to switch to another brand then. One that can cover up all the side effects of two hours of sleep. Being here way before school starts isn’t helping either.” The boy joked before giving her another peck on her cheek. “Thanks for looking out for me yesterday by the way.”  
  
“You noticed?”  
  
“Of course I did. Hard to miss that caring tone in your voice Bugaboo.”  
  
“Tone in my---? Oh! You meant our call last night.”  
  
The blonde raised a brow and sat down on one of the steps outside the school. Leaving his crutches next to him. Everything felt almost eerily quiet arriving there way before the school even opened.“Yes? What did you think I was talking about.”  
  
“Oh...you know...me keeping an eye on your house just in case your father does something crazy?”  
  
“You went on a stakeout?”  
  
“Yeah. Sorry. I...I just wanted to be sure he wasn’t going to betray you. No offence but I don’t completely trust your father yet. Especially with the way he’s been acting.” The girl took a seat next to him on the steps.  
  
“No need to apologize. I understand. Can’t say I’m used to it all either. But…” The hero rummaged through his pockets and pulled out the pin. Pressing it firmly into her hands. “At least we don’t have to worry about him anymore.”  
  
Marinette opened her hand to look at the Miraculous.  
A tiny purple pin with delicate looking butterfly wings.  
  
“It really is over then. It...feels so unreal.”  
  
He nodded in agreement. “His Kwami hasn’t come out just yet by the way. Which is a shame because I wanted to apologize for what my father has done. For not seeing it sooner while it was right under my nose.”  
  
“Hey.” She muttered. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. Nobody did. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”  
  
“I still feel partially responsible since he’s my father Mari.”  
  
“That’s...recommendable. But he’s supposed to be the adult here. The only one responsible for his actions is himself. Even if you did know...what could you have done to get him to stop?”  
  
“I don’t know.” The boy shrugged, his gaze focused on the stone beneath his feet. “Just try more in general. Be a better son.”  
  
Marinette frowned.  
  
“You already did more than what he wanted you to do.” She assured him. “There is nothing more you could have done and now...now he’s willing to change. Right? That’s why he gave it all up didn’t he?”  
  
Adrien nodded. “He said he noticed that I wasn’t happy and that spending time with you actually made me genuinely happy and that made him realize he hasn’t been a father to me since mom...well...you know.”  
  
“I’m glad he noticed it on time and not only because it means we don’t have to be afraid of any Akuma. But mostly because I’m happy that he’s aware that you should be the most important thing in his life.”  
  
“I don’t believe he ever, not thought that.” The blonde shifted uncomfortably. “Just that he went about the wrong way in showing that for the longest time.”  
  
“Even still. You’re not to blame for this.” Marinette once again repeated.  
  
“What...what should we do next?”  
  
“I’m going to drop this off at master Fu’s during my lunch break.” She opened her hand to take another look at the pin. “Hopefully he’ll know what we should do next.”  
  
“Do you think he’d want our Miraculous back now that this is all over?”  
  
His partner didn’t respond right away.  
  
“I….I hope not.”  
  
“If he wants them back, could you ask him if we could have some more time with our Kwami? To properly say our goodbyes and all? I’d hate to just drop Plagg off just like that.”  
  
The dark haired girl nodded in agreement. “Me too. I’d hate it if I couldn’t say goodbye to Tikki. I’ll do my best to convince him to keep our Miraculous a bit longer. That is to say, if he wants them back in the first place.”  
  
“Maybe until my leg heals up? I’d love it if I could be Chat Noir one last time before having to give it all up for good.”  
  
“Of course Chaton.”  
  
“On a positive note...we’re able to relax a little.”  
  
“If you call cramming for the last exams of the school year a way of relaxing.” Marinette chuckled. “Then yes. We can relax a little. But just a little.”  
  
“At least you still don’t have to worry if your own father goes back on his word and snatching your Miraculous while you sleep.” He tried to joke. “It’s a good thing Plagg was awake all night to keep guard, otherwise I wouldn’t have slept at all.”  
  
“I could keep an eye out during the night if you want.”  
  
He shook his head. “You need your sleep Princess. Besides that, isn’t that going to wear Tikki out?”  
  
“Maybe. She seemed pretty exhausted after last night. Then again...so am I.” Marinette laughed tiredly. “But I just want to be sure that you’re safe.”  
  
“I’ll be fine.” He assured her. “Why don’t you take my father up on that offer for dinner and you can see for yourself if he’s keeping up a façade or being genuine. I think we both can sleep better if we get a...more complete impression of him.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“I mean that he’s been throwing us both out of a loop by acting so strange. I haven’t spend that much time with him since I broke my leg, but maybe we both can figure out if he truly wants to change or is just playing us for fools.”  
  
“That would be something. We trust him and he takes both our Miraculous at the same time.”  
  
“A horrible thought.” Adrien agreed. “It’s not like I can fight him like this either.”  
  
“Maybe I should just keep watch every night. Until the end of summer at least.”  
  
“Do you want to die? I can’t let you do that! You’ll be a wreck when the new school year starts.”  
  
“Awww. I never realised you cared so much.” The girl joked.  
  
“Of course I do.” He pouted. “You’re one of my best friends, if not my best friend….don’t...don’t tell Nino I told you that. He’s also my best friend just...he isn’t you.”  
  
“My lips are sealed Chaton.” Marinette smirked. “I...I suppose we could give your father a chance? I could beat him up if he steps out of line again.”  
  
Adrien groaned at the thought. “He’s still my father Mari. I don’t want you to beat him up.”  
  
“Fine. Fine. I’ll gently punch his face. How about that?”  
  
He didn’t reply, letting her know her attempt at joking didn’t seem to go well.  
  
“Cheer up Kitty.” Playfully she let her shoulder bump against his own. “I’m only joking. If he really means what he says, then everything should just work out fine.”  
  
“I hope so. It’s just...not being able to be sure and just sitting here anxiously waiting...it’s…”  
  
“Driving you crazy?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“I’ll keep an eye on you during the nights then. Just to keep you sane.”  
  
“No. Mari. You need your sleep.”  
  
“So do you.” She argued.  
  
“Let’s compromise. I’ll sleep with my phone next to me and my door barricaded. If something happens I’ll have time to give you a s.o.s call.”  
  
She sighed and reached for her bag and pulled out a black marker. “Okay. I...might be able to sleep better that way. Give me your leg, I’d like to finish up that design on your cast before school starts.”  
  
He did as she told him, lifting his leg onto her lap and pulling up the fabric of his jeans.  
The black cat, roses and skull design she had started working on the day before, scribbled over the white plaster.  
  
“I love it so far.” Adrien praised her. “It’s like a tattoo I could never have.”  
  
“That’s what you wanted right?”  
  
“Absolutely!”  
  
“You know, this would be great on the back of a leather biker jacket too.”  
  
Uncapping the marker, the designer resumed the work she had started the day prior.  
  
“Would it be horrible of me to commission you to make that for me?” The model gasped.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“I can pay you in kisses if you don’t want money.”  
  
She laughed. “That’s even more horrible.”  
  
“I’m not that bad at it am I?”  
  
“No! I mean as a method of payment you dork.” Her laugh got louder. “I’ll try to make you one for your birthday alright.”  
  
“Then...I’ll make you something for your birthday. I’m not sure what yet, but I will.”  
  
“I’d like that.” Marinette looked up and smiled sweetly at him.  


* * *

  
  
She had the butterfly pin pressed tightly to her chest as she stood in front of Master Fu’s front door.  
  
All the while the pin’s Kwami hadn’t come out, yet Tikki assured her that she could feel Nooroo’s presence clearly.  
  
At least that was some reassurance that the Kwami was actually inside the little trinket.  
  
Taking one last, deep, breath, Marinette knocked on the door.  
  
A couple moments later an old man answered it.  
Giving the girl a smile as soon as he noticed her.  
  
“Marinette. I did not expect you here today. Is there something I can help you with?”  
  
“Master Fu.” She sighed deeply. “We have the butterfly Miraculous.”  
  
She wasn’t sure why, but the warm smile on the old man’s face fell instantly and his expression turned serious.  
  
“Quick. Come in.”  
  
He stepped aside, giving her room to enter the apartment.  
  
Instantly Tikki, who had been asleep for most of the morning, flew out of her purse.  
  
“It’s true master!” She chirped happily. “We’ve got Nooroo back!”  
  
“I was not aware we even had an idea of who Hawkmoth’s true identity. How did you get it back?”  
  
“As Chat Noir said. In the most anticlimactic way.” The puzzled look on the man’s face let her know that she had completely lost him already. “He gave it up. Hard as it is to believe.”  
  
“Gave it. Up?”  
  
“Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth.” Marinette explained. “And I don’t know why, but he showed Adrien last night that he was...well...a supervillain and just gave him the Miraculous to give to me. I don’t know if it’s really his motive, but Adrien thinks it’s because his father wants to start and be a better person and parent. He’s been acting weird ever since he broke his leg.”  
  
Master Fu nodded. “Do you also believe that is the reason?”  
  
“I...I don’t know.” She admitted. “I don’t fully trust him. He might be planning something. He knows Adrien is Chat Noir afterall. I’m so scared he will take the ring and do something even worse than Akumatizing people.”  
  
“This is a predicament.”  
  
“Nooroo hasn’t come out yet either.” Tikki added. “We can’t ask him if mister Agreste is genuinely giving it up or planning something.”  
  
“May I see?” Marinette gently put the small pin in his open hand. “Hmmmm. He is in there, just weakened. It might take some time before he’s ready to come out to talk.”  
  
“Can’t we just give him...whatever he likes to eat? To charge up?”  
  
Fu shook his head. “It is not that simple. The Miraculous were never meant to be used for evil. The butterfly one especially grant someone the power to create allies. To help their fellow Miraculous holders. To give hope.” He started to explain. “Nooroo, has been used for evil for a long time now. It might not have affected his magic, but it might have affected him in different ways.”  
  
“All Kwami know what they are supposed to do.” The red creature tried to add onto the master’s explanation. “Nooroo might be confused and tired right now because he’s been used for evil all this time.”  
  
“Something like...inner turmoil?”  
  
“Yes. Something like that Marinette. Give him some time. He’ll come out of there eventually. When he feels confident enough again.”  
  
“Okay. Yeah. So...ehm...one question that’s been burning on both my lips and Chat’s. Do we...need to give our Miraculous back? Right now? Hawkmoth seems to be gone.”  
  
“No. Not right now.” She released a breath of relief. “It is like you said. Gabriel Agreste can still take away Adrien’s ring and turn evil all over again. For now...let’s wait and observe. Keep your earrings on you.”  
  
“How long should we wait?”  
  
“I am not certain. But even if we are sure that Hawkmoth will be gone forever, there is one more pressing matter we might need Ladybug and Chat Noir for.”  
  
Marinette frowned.  
  
A ‘pressing matter’.  
That didn’t sound too good.  
  
“Aside from the butterfly Miraculous, the peacock one is also still missing. I am afraid, that in due time, the wielder of it will make themselves known. We can not say for certain if they will be an ally or a foe. We might need Ladybug and Chat Noir again.”  
  
The girl nodded. “Do you want us to keep using ours until the peacock one shows up? Or...do you want them back at some point?”  
  
He gave her an all knowing smile. “Are you ready to give up your spots?”  
  
“N-No. No not yet. And I know Adrien isn’t either. His tail I mean...because he doesn't have spots.”  
  
“Then keep them and give them back when you are ready to let go of being a superhero.”  
  
“Really?”  
  
“You have proven yourself to be quite trustworthy. As a matter of fact, I have been thinking of training you to be the next guardian.”  
  
“Really?!”  
  
The old man gave a nod. “If you are up for it. I am getting too old Marinette and I need to make sure the Miraculous will be safe. I am certain they will be in your care.”  
  
“I...I don’t know. It’s a huge responsibility.”  
  
“Think about it. I will be alive for a whole lot longer, so you don’t have to answer right away.”  
  
“O-Okay. Thank you master Fu.”  
  
“Would you like some tea?”  
  
“Oh...eh…”  
  
“We do need to hurry back to school Marinette.” Tikki reminded her. “Your lunch break is almost over.”  
  
“That’s true. No Akuma’s around this time to use as an excuse.” She sighed. “I’m sorry master Fu. Another time maybe?”  
  
“Of course. Feel free to bring Chat Noir with you too.”  
  
“He might have trouble with the stairs.” She laughed. “But I’ll ask him.”  
  
“Take care of Nooroo for us master.”  
  
“Of course I will Tikki.”  


* * *

  
  
“No!”  
  
“Oh come on Adrien! What’s the use of breaking your leg if your classmates can’t sign their name on it.” Kim argued.  
  
The blonde pouted. “Because you will go over Marinette’s design. Besides, she isn’t even done with it yet and when she is you guys can put your name on there.”  
  
“On where? The back of your leg? Where you can’t even see them?” Alix asked raising a brow.  
  
“No. Look.” He pointed at a spot on his cast. A spot where Marinette had drawn up a banner of sorts. “Mari is leaving empty spaces on her design for you guys to sign it.  
  
“Oh.”  
  
“Pretty cool right?”  
  
“Can I snap a picture of it?” Rose suddenly asked. “That cat looks sooooo cute!”  
  
Adrien shrugged. “I don’t mind. Hey, forward it to me too would you. The only view I have of this is an upside down one. Probably not the best way to look at it.”  
  
The girl gave a small nod before taking a photo of his cast with her phone.  
  
His own device gave a soft ‘ping’ as he received the photo.  
The moment he opened it, he felt his chest swell with pride.  
  
Marinette was so talented and he felt incredibly lucky that he managed to convince her to decorate, the otherwise boring looking, white cast.  
  
Without thinking too much about it, he sent the photo to his father with the caption. _“Marinette made this for me! She is so amazing!”_  
  
No sooner as the message was sent, did he just realized what he had been doing.  
  
Why on earth would he even boast about the girl to his father?  
  
His father probably didn’t care nor would he reply.  
  
_“You shouldn’t care either.”_ A little voice inside of his head told him. _“If you want to show off something awesome your friend made you should!”_ _  
_  
Adrien decided that the little voice was right.  
  
He liked the cat and skulls design and he was the one wearing it on his cast.  
What his father thought of it wasn’t his problem.  
  
It wasn’t like it was forever anyway.  
  
Only for a couple of weeks.  
  
“Marinette! Girl where have you been!” He suddenly heard Alya shout out as the girl in question stumbled through the door, out of breath.  
  
“Did...I…” She stopped to catch her breath. “Still...make it?”  
  
“You’re on time.” Adrien confirmed with a nod.  
  
“Yay you made it Marinette!” Rose cheered.  
  
“Nothing short of a miracle.” The dark haired girl grinned.  
  
“Mari. Where even were you dudette?”  
  
“Had to make a quick cake delivery for my parents Nino.”  
  
“Couldn’t have brought some with you for us?” The DJ joked.  
  
As a response Marinette stuck out her tongue at him and opened her mouth to shoot him a witty comment back.  
Only to be interrupted by the school bell.  
  
“Class is about to start.” Adrien muttered.  
  
“Come on Kitty.” His partner offered him her hand which he gratefully took.  
  
With more strength in her arms that she looked like she would have, she pulled him up from his spot on the wooden bench.  
  
“So eh…” He began as his fellow classmates started to walk away from them. “What did he say?”  
  
“We get to keep our Miraculous for now. But we have to be sure you’re father isn’t trying to trick us or something.”  
  
“So we stay vigilant?”  
  
“I stay vigilant. At least until your leg is healed. When it does you can easily run away in case your father tries to take your ring.”  
  
The blonde frowned. “I don’t want you losing sleep just because you’re trying to keep an eye out on me during the night.”  
  
“It’s temporary.”  
  
“It’s ruining your whole summer.”  
  
“I rather have that than take a risk.”  
  
“Let’s go with our initial plan. I’ll barricade the door every night and sleep with my phone close to me. If he wants to break in, I’ll have a little time to lock myself into the bathroom and call you.”  
  
“Okay.” The designer huffed. “Okay fine. We’ll do it your way. But you better put something heavy against that door.”  
  
“I think I can move the piano in the way. It’s pretty heavy and impossible to move if I lock the wheels in place.” He grabbed his crutches to lean on.  
  
“Are you sure? It won’t be easy for you right now.”  
  
Adrien leaned forward to peck her cheek briefly. “I’ll be fine.”  
  
“Okay. I trust you on this one. But let me know the moment things take a wrong turn of if you need help.”  
  
“Don’t worry Bug. I will.”  
  
“There is one other thing.”  
  
“Oh?”  
  
“I’ll tell you any details later, but there’s another Miraculous missing from the box. We might be needed again, so we don’t have to give back the you-know-what.”  
  
A large smile curled up on his lips. “Is it bad that I don’t mind that one bit?”  
  
“Is it even worse that I share that sentiment?” She laughed.  


* * *

  
  
Looking back, Marinette had to admit it was an eventful day.  
  
On top of visiting master Fu, finishing the design on Adrien’s leg and taking four tests in school, she had also helped her parents out in the bakery and managed to finish up the alterations to Adrien’s old jeans.  
  
They were beyond recognition and perfect for a those warm pre-summer days they were currently having.  
It was one of the more fun projects she had been working on. 

Embroidering on flowers.

Adding lace to the pockets and the rim.  
  
After such a busy day, any human being with common sense would turn in for the night.  
She did have to get up early for school again.  
  
Yet the lingering worry of Gabriel Agreste going into her partners room and taking that ring by force, kept haunting her thoughts.  
Prompting her to repeat the events of the previous night.  
  
Sneaking down to make some coffee to bring with her, get to her lookout spot and keeping an eye on the Agreste mansion.  
  
One thing was different from the first time she did that.  
Adrien had a light on in his room.  
  
It was only a desk light, but enough to see clearly what was going on in the large bedroom.  
  
He wasn’t sleeping.  
  
Despite it being late.  
  
As promised, the piano barricaded the entereeway as much as it could.  
If anything it was quite the obstacle to pass before anyone would even make it into the room.  
  
The boy himself lay on his bed, but she noticed that his eyes were open and his mouth was moving.  
Most likely he was talking to Plagg.  
  
Nothing out of the ordinary so far.  
  
The other lights in the mansion were once again turned off.  
  
Aside from Adrien, nothing and nobody seemed to be moving about.  
  
Maybe she had been overreacting.  
  
Maybe his father did have a change of heart and wanted to be better.  
People change all the time.  
Didn’t they?  
  
The boy’s body suddenly shot up from his position on the bed.  
His gaze turned towards the window.  
  
Towards her.  
  
Ladybug wasn’t sure if he really noticed her, but that question was soon answered as he stumbled towards the large wall of glass, using just one of his crutches for support, and motioned in her direction.  
  
At first she didn’t move an inch.  
  
In the darkness of the night, surely she was nothing more but a shadow against the night sky.  
  
His hand gestures didn’t stop however, as he kept on motioning for her to come closer.  
  
Maybe something had happened?  
  
Maybe he had heard a noise and his hand motions were to signal her something was up.  
  
The moment she swinged towards him, he moved to open up one of his windows.  
  
“What are you doing?!” He hissed in annoyance.  
  
So there wasn’t an emergency.  
  
“Stakeout.”  
  
“No. I can see that you’re on a stakeout. I meant. Why?! You’re supposed to be sleeping!”  
  
“So are you.” Ladybug let herself into the room and landed on his floor with a soft thud.  
  
“I thought we agreed to the other plan! I thought you trusted me!”  
  
“I do!” The girl whispered back harsly. “I trust you. I just don’t trust your father!”  
  
“I’ll be fine!”  
  
“Then why are you awake!”  
  
“I can’t sleep okay! You’re not the only one worried something bad might happen.”  
  
She couldn’t really be mad at him hearing that. The somewhat angry tone in her voice having disappeared. “So...what now?”  
  
He leaned more on his crutch and huffed.  
  
“Why...don’t you drop the transformation and cuddle up with me for the night?” He calmly suggested.  
  
“Adrien I…”  
  
“It’s not like father can walk in without alarming either of us. You’ll have plenty of time to transform and get back out and it’s the only way we can actually get some rest. You don’t have to worry about me because you’re already close and I don’t have to worry because you’re next to me in case something happens.”  
  
“Yeah. Okay. You do have a point.”  
  
With his free hand he gently took hold of her glove one and gave it a light squeeze.  
  
“Spots off.” A pink light washed over her, leaving Marinette standing there in her pink pajamas. “I guess doing this every night beats going on a stakeout every time.”  
  
“I’ll set my alarm clock to go off a little earlier too. So you’ll have time to go home and pretend you’ve been there all along.”  
  
“Thank you Chaton.”  
  
“Less talking and more sleeping.” A voice suddenly mumbeld from somewhere.  
  
“Oh Plagg. Let them talk.” Tikki scolded before zipping away from the two teens.  
  
Probably to join wherever Plagg was hiding out if Adrien had to make a guess.  
  
“We need to talk anyway.” Marinette nodded. “About what master Fu told me.”  
  
“Talking and cuddling seems to work well together.”  
  
“I might fall asleep in your arms if we do.”  
  
“Like I mind that. You can fall asleep on me anytime Marinette.”  
  
She shot him a smile and rolled her eyes. “That’s what pillows are for Adrien.”  
  
“Pillows and partners who care a lot about you.”  
  
“I care a lot about you too.”  
  
She took a step forward and pressed a long kiss against his cheek.  
  
At least...it felt long.  
  
In reality it might have lasted no more than a second or three. Maybe four.  
  
“So what did master Fu say about there being another Miraculous?” He curiously asked while leading her to the bed.  
  
“The peacock one is still out there. He’s afraid, now that Hawkmoth is gone, that whoever has it might use it soon.”  
  
The girl let herself plop down on the bed.  
Wasting no time, she laid down and made herself comfortable.  
  
“That’s not good.” Adrien mumbled as he followed her example.  
  
The moment he was on the bed, she snuggled against him.  
A strong arm wrapped itself around her shoulder, pulling her as close against him as he could.  
  
“We don’t know if this person will be good or bad.”  
  
“If they are good. We don’t have to worry and probably just need to ask for the Miraculous back.”  
  
“Right. But if they’re bad…”  
  
“We’re back to where we started. Only with another villain. One that might not be staying in one place unlike my father.”  
  
She nodded against his arm. “That’s the worse case scenario.”  
  
“We can take them. Whomever they might be. We’re a team.”  
  
“A good team.”  
  
“An amazing team.”  
  
“The best.” She grinned.  
  
“They’ll never know what hit them.” Adrien leaned towards her and pressed a kiss on top of her head. “So does that mean we really get to keep our Miraculous for a while longer?”  
  
“Yeah. I’m not sure for how long. But at least until we get everything back to master Fu.”  
  
“I’m okay with that. Who knows. It might take a couple of years before we find it, or if someone new shows up.”  
  
“A couple of months now at the very least. Nobody knows Hawkmoth is gone. They’ll suspect it once they realize the Akuma have stopped.”  
  
“Are you going to keep patroling?”  
  
Again the girl nodded. “Yeah. It’s nice to just get out for a bit you know.”  
  
“I’ll join you when I’m healed up.”  
  
“Good. It’s lonely out there without you.”  
  
“Awww. Bug.” He cooed.  
  
“And strangely calming too.”  
  
“Calming?”  
  
“Yeah. I get to think for once without you there to fire off puns every two seconds.” Marinette chuckled.  
  
“Oh. Ha. Ha.” Adrien rolled his eyes. “You love my puns.”  
  
“Well. You do make me laugh and I love when you make me laugh.” She snuggled closer against him, draping one arm over his waist and closing her eyes.  
  
He felt how her breathing slowed down.  
  
No doubt she was starting to fall asleep  
  
"He eh....He wants me to be the next guardian of the Miraculous." The girl sleepily told him.  
  
"That's big."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Are you going to do it?"  
  
"Not sure yet. I have to think about it." She yawned before letting sleep taking over her.  
  
"Hey. Tell me all about it in the morning okay. You look like you're about to pass out."  
  
"Hmmmhmm....."  
  
“I love you. So much.” The boy whispered softly to her before he allowed himself to rest as well.  


* * *

  
  
“Girl!” Alya squealed as her best friend walked up to her the following morning. “Those look amazing!”  
  
“Thank you!” Marinette said in a sing song voice. “It took me a while to adjust these.”  
  
“You didn’t make them from scratch?”  
  
Adrien looked up from his book to see the girl wearing embroidered shorts and a sleeveless blouse.  
  
“Hey. Those are mine!” He pointed at Marinette with a big smile on his face.  
  
“Dude. Those are not your size.” Nino snickered next to him.  
  
“No. Those were my jeans. I gave them to Marinette the day I broke my leg.”  
  
“You can still recognize them?” She pouted. “Guess I still have to do a little more work on them.”  
  
“No! No! You look great! I mean! They look great!” The blonde put a hand in his neck as he felt his cheeks warm up. “It’s just that I recognize the logo. On the buttons. Pretty hard to miss.”  
  
“I kinda liked the big butterfly design on the buttons. So I kept it. Hope your father doesn’t mind.”  
  
“Mari! Spin around for me? Let me see how great you look girl!” Alya pleaded, having her phone out already.  
  
The dark haired girl rolled her eyes but complied to her friend’s request anyway.  
Striking a pose at the end.  
  
That was the moment Alya took a picture.  
  
Twenty minutes later Adrien nudged the blogger and asked her to forward it to him as well.  
  
He had to admit that the detailing looked amazing and he, once again, felt extremely proud at what the girl was able to create.  
She was talented for sure.  
  
Opening up the messaging app on his phone during his lunch break, Adrien selected the photo and forwarded it to Marinette.  
  
“Maybe you should add this one to your portfolio? You can clearly see you’ve had a lot of work making this and it paid off!”  
  
The reply he got however wasn’t from Marinette.  
  
_“Why are you sending me this?”  
_  
At first he was confused.  
  
He had explained to her why. So why did she ask.  
  
It wasn’t until the boy noticed the name on top that he realized he made a mistake.  
  
_“I am sorry father! I meant to sent this to Marinette. She made those shorts from the ruined jeans from last week.”_ He quickly explained. _“I figured she could use the photo for her fashion designing portfolio.”_  
  
It took a while before his father replied again. _“I see. Tell her she should and ask if your friend and her family are available for dinner this weekend.”_ _  
_  
Just as it took his father a while to respond, so did it take Adrien a good few minutes to start typing again.  
But mostly because his father seemed to approve of Marinette in a way.  
  
Something he already knew as he wasn’t opposed to them dating.  
Even if they weren’t and some people just assumed these days.  
  
Still, it was rare for his father to do so.  
  
He had banished Nino from the mansion without as much as having more than a minute of conversation with him.  
  
Maybe….  
  
Maybe he did want to do better.  
  
Maybe….  
  
Maybe he really only approved of his partner because, as his father had said, ‘he noticed she was the reason he was smiling again’.  
  
Maybe he was just playing both of them for fools and his worries would become reality.  
  
Whatever the reason he was going to stay cautious and carefully optimistic.  
  
_"Okay. I will."_

* * *

  
  
“So.” Gabriel Agreste put his glass of wine down and turned towards Marinette’s parents. “Adrien told me you two run a bakery.”  
  
Up until the dinner with their families, Marinette had slept over a total of five times.  
Each night she had helped him push the piano in front of the door and each morning she pulled it back into place before sneaking back to her home.  
  
So far his father hadn’t even tried to open the door to his room and Adrien was wondering how long they were going to keep up their secret sleepovers for the sake of safety.  
  
“Yes we do. We’ve been running it for almost twenty years now.” Tom proudly stated. “As small as we are, we’ve been doing quite well in recent years.”  
  
Sabine nodded in agreement.  
  
“And you Marinette…”  
  
The girl in question jolted up in her seat as the older man addressed.  
  
Without hesitating, Adrien put a hand on her knee to calm down any nerves she might have talking to his father.  
  
“Y-Yes?”  
  
“You aspire to be a designer correct? No interest in joining the family business?”  
  
The girl shook her head. “I...I do love baking. And making cakes. But designing is what I love most.”  
  
Gabriel nodded in understanding.  
  
“She made the album cover of Jagged Stone’s new release two years ago.” Adrien added. “And she won the bowler hat competition at school.”  
  
“Ah yes. I remember.” The man once again nodded. “You have talent miss Dupain-Cheng.”  
  
“T-Thank you sir.” The girl muttered.  
  
“We are very proud of her.” Sabine added. “That she is pursuing something she loves doing.”  
  
“Designing is a broad subject to focus on. Do you know where you want to head with your talents?”  
  
“Fashion designing sir.”  
  
“A good choice.” Gabriel praised her. “I’ve seen what you’ve made out of my son’s ruined jeans. It is quite impressive.”  
  
Marinette’s eyes went wide as she turned to the boy next to her.  
  
“It was an accident!” He was quick to defend himself. “I didn’t mean to sent the photo Alya took to father.”  
  
“He is speaking the truth. None the less I can see why he feels the need to boast to me of your skills. You have talent and I would like to offer you a apprentice position for this summer.”  
  
“An...apprenticeship? With whom?”  
  
“With me.”  
  
Sabine gasped in excitement from her side of the table. “Marinette! This is wonderful!”  
  
“I...I can’t.”  
  
“Honey. Are you sure?”  
  
The girl nodded and turned her attention back to Adrien’s father. “I appreciate the offer mister Agreste. I really do. But...I...I don’t want an apprenticeship based on just one thing you’ve seen from me. That...that makes me think you’re only offering it because I’m friends with Adrien.”  
  
“Or because he knows you’re Ladybug and he might be up to something.” Adrien added mentally.  
  
He didn’t doubt his partner had the same thoughts.  
But it was hard to call the man out when her parents were sitting right there.  
  
“I don’t want to make my name in the fashion industry by riding on someone else’s coattails either. I want to make my name on my own. Like you did sir. You’ve climbed from the bottom to the top all on your own.”  
  
“That is true.” Gabriel sighed. “Alright. If that’s what you wish. If you change your mind the offer still stands.”  
  
“I won’t change my mind. But thank you for the offer.”  
  
“Are you sure sweetheart?”  
  
“Yes maman. I’m sure.”  
  
Adrien was sure that it was almost impossible to be more attracted to the girl than he already was.  
But here she was proving him wrong. 

* * *

  
  
The rest of the night went of without a hitch.  
  
Gabriel, when being left alone with Marinette’s parents, seemed to be getting along great with them.  
Talking about everything from politics to work, their children and eventually his father even shared some fond memories of his wife.  
  
They laughed, they joked, they invited the father and son over for dinner at their house next time.  
Something neither Marinette or Adrien had expected him to accept, but he did.  
  
The smile the man had on his face the moment the Dupain-Cheng’s left, suddenly fell slightly.  
  
“Adrien.”  
  
“Yes father?”  
  
“We need to have a serious talk.”  
  
“About…?”  
  
“How much of a hazard it is that you’re barricading your door every night. With...the piano if I have to guess.”  
  
“How...How did you know?”  
  
“Moving such a heavy object without noise is impossible. I am not angry with you. Merely wondering why you would even do such a thing.”  
  
“I...I don’t trust you. Completely. No offence father but I’m still worried that you’re going to steal my ring in the middle of the night and then….well….that would be horrible. I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t come into my room during the night.”  
  
“Is that why your friend has been staying over too?”  
  
“You...You know about that too?!” Adrien gasped.  
  
Gabriel nodded slowly. “The same camera’s that have caught you transforming, caught her coming in during the night and out in the morning.”  
  
“Shit.”  
  
“Language Adrien.”  
  
“Sorry.” The boy muttered. “She...she just wanted to protect me. She doesn’t trust you either. Even less than I do.”  
  
“I am not going to take your ring away son.” The man sighed. “But I understand your reasoning. I understand that I have to earn your trust and maybe proof to your friends that I can be trusted again. That will take time.”  
  
The boy nodded.  
  
“So I’m willing to compromise.” Gabriel continued. “I shall ask your bodyguard to put some locks on your door. That way you can lock it from the inside without waking me up trying to move that piano. But…”  
  
“But?”  
  
“But you can not have her sleep over again. I don’t think I will have to explain why. Do I?”  
  
He shook his head. “No father.”  
  
“And I will not allow you to sleep over at her place either. Unless…” His father stopped speaking.  
  
“Unless?”  
  
“Unless there is a whole group present. I am alright with you organize a sleepover when it’s not just you and miss Dupain-Cheng in one room.”  
  
His eyes went wide in anticipation.  
  
“Really? Like a real sleepover?”  
  
His father nodded.  
  
“With snacks and games and staying up late and telling scary stories?”  
  
Again the man nodded.  
  
“Can I invite the entire class?”  
  
“I...I suppose.”  
  
“When?”  
  
“When did you have in mind?”  
  
“Next week! When we’re done with the last day of school. To celebrate summer vacation?”  
  
It took a few seconds but eventually the man gave an approving nod.  
  
“Really? Thank you father!”  
  
Adrien enveloped the man in the biggest hug he could give him with just one free arm.  
The warm smile on his father’s face went unnoticed as he hugged his son back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning on doing one last chapter to this arc.  
> It's going to be a time skip one as not too linger too long on the whole Gabriel redemption and Mari's and Adrien's relationship progression too long.


End file.
